Sandro Botticelli
from the illustrations for the Divine Comedy, specifically from Paradise
Unusual set of three scrimshaw gambling dice ~ Carved from a sperm whale tooth (approx. 1" square), with designs inlaid with pitch & red wax; early 19th century. “The time for recreation on a 19th century whaling ship was the second dogwatch, from 6 to 8 o’clock in the evening. Boxing was discouraged by the captains, but scrimshandering, dominoes, dice, backgammon, card games, cribbage, & chess were not. The stakes for seamen playing such games & using the dice were usually tobacco.”
(via Finch & Co.)
Stunning Hand-Made GIFs by Nancy Liang
Sydney-based illustrator Nancy Liang’s stunning animated illustrations were done almost entirely by hand, which is extremely rare in a world where imaginative scenes are composed by codes. Every image is conceived through a physical drawing. Liang uses kraft paper cutouts, pencil drawings, and many sketches before implementing them into Photoshop for animation. To view her recent pieces, check out her Tumblr: Over the Moon.