Return To The British Museum Again

[We resume our regularly scheduled programming...] 

Still the Elgin Marbles and other Greek stuff we wanted to see, mostly ancient ceramics, were closed. They have been closed since early July, when we arrived. So we contented ourselves again looking at more jewelry, armor, and other things. At least we're getting a fair sense of the encyclopedic nature of this vast museum. Such a contrast with, for example, the National Gallery of Art, which is strictly paintings, strictly European, strictly Medieval to 1900. But still wonderful. And so is the British Museum. Encyclopedically.

A cut-steel chatelaine or belt hook, with needlework
tools, Victorian; I trust you already have one of these,
Tawana

Incredibly carved brooches and such

Bejeweled too; in case you are looking for gift ideas for Vicki,
she really liked this one

Moving right along...an art deco stainless steel corn set...yes,
for corn on the cob...the pitcher to pour melted butter and salt
and pepper shakers; note how I cleverly composed this shot
so that Vicki and I are mirrored on the sides of the pitcher and
shakers...worthy of a Dutch still life!

Steel dress sword (lower), snuff box, and watch owned by the
historian Edward Gibbon (Decline and Fall, etc.)

All sorts of stuff

Gold medallion of Henry VIII; given only to close personal buds;
inscribed "Your pal always, Hank"

Ditto, Anne Boleyn's daughter

Weapon favored by bad guys, a crossbow, reminding me of
happy times in Volterra

Hand-held mortar, 16th century; seriously; as Frederic the Great

once said, God favors the larger calibers

Breastplate for beer drinker

Nice solid gold champagne coolers; "ice pails"; as the museum
description said, these are the only ones of any age that were
not melted down...

This is a pole axe; you do not want to be pole-axed

Three incredible models--olive, mother of pearl, ivory--of the
Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, made for the tourist, I mean pilgrim,
trade there in the 17th century; helpful models, indeed

Forbidden zone...one of the several halls we were pining to see,
closed off