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Pictures that provoke thought, spark joy, or leave you amazed, and others that make you question why you even bothered. π https://universalcompendium.com/
Photograph by Mateusz D
That odd charm of a fresh haircut, this llama's trimmed coat throws its long neck and blunt gaze into sharper relief, the tuft on his head left like a small shrug.
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#photography #animals #llama #portrait
View of the Hanging Rock Albumen print, 13.2 x 18.5 cm, by Nicholas Caire, 1890s National Library of Australia
View of the Hanging Rock, by Nicholas Caire, 1890s.
Steeped in Indigenous lore and colonial legend, the Hanging Rock formation rises dramatically from the plains near Mount Macedon, Victoria. It is also an ideal place for unforgettable picnics.
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Fruit bat, Maldives Photograph by Ishan
A fruit bat in the Maldives glides at a breathtaking height, its leathery wings lending it a prehistoric grace, as though it belongs to another age.
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#animals #photography #wildlife #sky
Whale shark, South Ari Atoll, Maldives Photograph by Ishan
Whale shark in the South Ari Atoll, Maldives, the world's largest fish and one of the prettiest, its spotted back resembling a constellation in the depths.
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#photography #fish #ocean #wildlife
Victoria crowned pigeon Photograph by Vikram Meda
A Victoria crowned pigeon moves about without hurry, fully aware that it makes a rather fine impression, and seems almost satisfied that ordinary pigeons would be conscious of their shortcomings in its presence.
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#birds #photography #wildlife #animals
Python Killing a Gnu Plaster retouched with red wax, 27.9 Γ 39.1 cm, by Antoine-Louis Barye, 1840sβ60s J.P. Getty Museum
Python Killing a Gnu, by Antoine-Louis Barye, 1840sβ60s.
A massive python coils around the gnu, dragging it down and biting its throat as their bodies knot in violent struggle.
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#art #sculpture #animals #wildlife
The Fleet's In! Oil and tempera on canvas, 94 x 170.2 cm, by Paul Cadmus, 1934 Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington 'It represents a most disgraceful, sordid, disreputable, drunken brawl. Apparently, a number of enlisted men are consorting with a party of streetwalkers and denizens of the red-light district.' ~ Retired Navy General Admiral Hugh Rodman
The Fleet's In!, by Paul Cadmus, 1934.
A scene of sailors on shore leave, showing their playful, risquΓ© side and the rowdy, boisterous energy of life.
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#art #painting #satire #navy
Male Mandarin Duck Photograph by Stuart Bartlett
A mandarin duck paddles along, its smorgasbord of colours turning the scene into a painting.
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#photography #birds #animals #wildlife
ICONSIAM building: interior, view towards the ceiling Photograph by Jash Chhabria
ICONSIAM building: interior, view towards the ceiling.
A mixed-use development situated along the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, its architectural design combines contemporary elements with traditional Thai influences.
#architecture #building #art #thailand
On the water at sunset Photograph Timothy Casey
On the water at sunset. He floated on the calm water beneath an empty horizon, while plans formed beneath the surface, none offering a graceful exit.
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#beach #shark #fantasy #horror
Hanging Iberian hams Photograph by M. Gaxiola
In a Buenos Aires shop, rows of ham legs dangle from the ceiling, slowly maturing in the open air.
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#food #meat #photography #argentina
Cameo of the Emperor Claudius Sardonyx, gold and enamel; 7.1 x 6 cm, anonymous, 17th century Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris
Cameo of the Emperor Claudius, anonymous, 17th century
A finely carved sardonyx cameo of the Emperor, previously owned by Louis XIV.
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#art #portrait #rome #history
Postcard of a Swimmer with Chest Toupee Print on card, 10.4 x 18 cm, by Inkognito, after a painting by Steffi Gritz-Sowa, 1990s
Postcard of a Swimmer with Chest Toupee. A nostalgic seaside postcard [note real-feel hair.]
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#postcard #beach #art #hairy
Rooster in a field Photograph by Happysurd Photography
A rooster steps from the hedgerow, not unlike a village constable on his morning rounds.
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#photography #birds #farm #country
Photograph by Tatyana Rubleva
'Fine Dining'
A cat seizes its treat with the ferocity of a tiny lion who fears the feast may vanish at any moment.
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#cat #animals #pets #photography
Nature's Cool Palette Photograph by Pierre Bamin
Nature's Cool Palette. This chameleon's swivelling eye peers about like a periscope, scanning the world with patient, reptilian calculation.
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#animals #photography #wildlife #lizards
Scott Joplin Photograph published in 1903
American composer and pianist Scott Joplin, whose ragtime works, including βThe Entertainerβ and βMaple Leaf Ragβ, brought the genre to prominence in the early 20th century and influenced generations of musicians.
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#music #piano #photography #jazz
Ludovisi Medusa Photographic print, anonymous, 1895β1925 Bildarchiv Foto Marburg
Ludovisi Medusa, anonymous (photographer), 1895β1925.
This 2nd-century BC marble relief, also known as Sleeping Fury, depicts a wild-haired woman with closed eyes, leaving viewers wondering if she sleeps or is dead.
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#art #sculpture #mythology #photography
Anima Sola Wood on stone base, 18th century Church and Former Convent of San AgustΓn, Queretaro, Mexico
Anima Sola, Mexican, 18th century.
A solitary, chained figure in flames symbolising purification in Purgatory, embodying suffering, hope, and eventual salvation.
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#sculpture #mexico #religion #art
Then garlands they brought to her by two and by two, and placed them all on the bride's head Illustration by Lucy Fitch Perkins, from the Robin Hood series, 1906
Then garlands they brought to her by two and by two And placed them all on the bride's head (wedding of Robin and Marian), by Lucy Fitch Perkins, 1906.
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#illustration #folk #art #literature
Bengasi (Benghazi): Corso Italia and Via San Francesco d'Assisi. Postcard by Ed. Cav. G. Nascia & F.α΅ - Bengasi, 1930s-1940s Private collection
Postcard of a street corner in Benghazi (then Bengasi), Libya, during the period of Italian colonial rule, 1930s-1940s.
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#postcard #vintage #photography #history
Admiral AM radio, Model 245 By Admiral Continental Radio & Television Co, Chicago, 27 x 15 x 15 cm, 1958
Admiral AM radio, 1958.
A bright red body, the now-yellowed grille, and two chunky knobs giving this radio a friendly, well-aged charm.
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#radio #music #vintage #nostalgia
Caesar in battle From Les anciennes hystoires rommaines: Li Fet des Romains, Royal 16 G VII, f. 272, 14th century The British Library, London
Caesar in battle, from a 14th century manuscript.
An episode from Caesar's military campaigns, showing him in the midst of strategic negotiation.
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#history #rome #illustration #art
Pug Dog in an Armchair Oil on canvas, 58 x 40 cm, by Alfred de Dreux, 1857 The State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg
Pug Dog in an Armchair by Alfred de Dreux, 1857.
Not resembling pugs of today, this one mocks the habits and airs of mid-19th century fashionable society.
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#art #dog #painting #satire
A Capri Girl Oil on panel, 44.4 x 31.1 cm, by Adriano Bonifazi, 1879 Location unknown
A Capri Girl, by Adriano Bonifazi, 1879.
An example of Bonifaziβs characteristic depictions of rural Italian life and youthful subjects, with this young girl from Capri in traditional dress.
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#painting #art #italy #country
Camel, Turkmenistan Photograph by Hanmuhadoo
A Camel in Turkmenistan.
Camels donβt really store water in their humps, but they do have three sets of eyelids and two rows of eyelashes to protect their eyes from the annoying sand.
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#animals #transport #desert #photography
Vase of Flowers Oil on canvas, 74.2 x 52.6 cm, by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, c. 1670 Mauritshuis, The Hague
Vase of Flowers, by Jan Davidsz. de Heem, c. 1670.
A lush and intricate bouquet of flowers, with fruits and small creatures scattered about.
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#art #painting #flowers #insects
The Bull Oil on canvas, 236.5 x 341 x 5 cm, by Paulus Potter, 1647 Mauritshuis, The Hague
The Bull, by Paulus Potter, 1647.
A bull with a scruffy farmer, accompanied by other animals, including a frog.
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#art #painting #bull #farm
Rosebud Egg Gold, enamel, diamonds, velvet lining, and rubies; h. 7.4 cm, by House of FabergΓ©, and Mikhail Perkhin 1895 FabergΓ© Museum, Saint Petersburg Photograph by Mikhail Ovchinnikov, 2018
The Rosebud Egg, by FabergΓ©, 1895.
In the Louis XVI style, the egg was restored in the 1980s after allegedly been thrown about during a marital dispute by its previous owners.
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#jewellery #eggs #art #russia
Colima 'Dancing' Dogs Terracotta exemplar, 20th century Private collection
Colima 'Dancing' Dogs. Depicting the Xoloitzcuintle breed, this pose is thought to symbolise the passing of knowledge and wisdom from an old dog to a young one, rather than a literal dance.
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#dogs #mexico #dance #sculpture
