Grotesque Collection

Religion / Egypt / Bes
Dwarf-god who, for all his grotesque appearance, is actually benevolent : his role is to protect women through the risks of childbirth

The Strife of Lent with Shrovetide, c. 1550, by Pieter Bruegh
Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c.1525-1569). Flemish painter. The Strife of Lent with Shrovetide, c.1550. National Museum of Denmark. Copenhagen. Denmark

DECOUPAGES
Light, shining through cunningly torn paper, casts grotesque shapes on the wall

Tudor houses on the corner of Chancery Lane, Fleet Street, 1789. External specimen of the Grotesque Bracketed Front and Projecting Stories of the reign of Edward VI. Demolished 1799

Illustration by Aubrey Beardsley, of a woman's bedroom, woman in bed, child standing by the bed, dressing table and mirror in background. From an article, An Apostle of the Grotesque'

Grotesque caricature, The Lock-Out's a monster. Captioned, The Evil Genius Of Industrial Strife, with description, The "lock-out" is presented to us incarnate, as a monster

"The question was, were the mirrors in the corners of the room positively libellous
" The question was, were the mirrors in the corners of the room positively libellous, or did one look every inch the grotesque figure reflected

Box lid, Happy Families playing cards

Quaremeprenant : (Lent faster), with enlarged ears, holding a thorny branch. Date: First published: 1532-64

RADA figure, Comedy
Comedy, a grotesque figure with an Ancient Greek mask, by sculptor Alan Durst, carved in Portland stone, over the doorway of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, London. Date: 12 November 1931

BOY PLAYS IN MASK C1870
A boy in a grotesque mask frightens his little sister Date: circa 1870

BOY IN MASK AND SISTER
A boy in a grotesque mask frightens his little sister Date: circa 1870

HOGARTH / PHYSICIANS
The Company of Undertakers Date: 18th century

John Bull Shot in Rear
The bombardment of Hartlepool - John Bull gets hit in a sensitive area... Date: December 1914

Grotesque gargoyle with hands in mouth
Grotesque gargoyle with a square head and its hands in its mouth. circa early 19th century

Kinich Ahau, Mayan sun god. 500-800. Classical period. Maya Solar God. Face of the god with a bird headdress. He rests on the face of the Water God Jajun. Detail of a grotesque head. Maya art

Salome, tailpiece by Aubrey Beardsley
Tailpiece to Salome, Oscar Wildes play illustrated by Aubrey Beardsley. In this grotesque, a masked figure assists a satyr to lift the comatose body of a naked woman. Date: 1893

Witches in Hayloft 1807
Witches in a hayloft conjuring up all kinds of devils

Chimeras - Notre Dame, Paris, France. On the left is Black Peter the stone gargoyle - all Parisian children know he watches out for naughty children

The musicians, c. 1617-1618, by Diego Velazquez (1599-1660)
Diego Velazquez (1599-1660). Spanish Baroque painter. The musicians, c.1617-1618. Gemaldegalerie. Berlin. Germany

Posada, Illustration to a story, La Noche Venturosa
Illustration to a story, La Noche Venturosa -- The Lucky Night or the Queen of Blas and Bato. Date: circa 1900

Hobgoblins, c. 1610
Hobgoblins - a variety of strange creatures, c.1610. Date: C.1610

Flora and Gill pursued by their enemy Luzbel, Mexico -- originally an illustration for a magicians programme. circa 1900

Grotesque head, illustration by William Heath Robinson (The Works of Mr Francis Rabelais, 1921). Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C

Medici porcelain. Three grotesque-style spouts. Renaissance art. Cinquecento. China / Porcelain. FRANCE. Ό E-DE-FRANCE. HAUTS-DE-SEINE. S趲 es. Sevres National Museum for Ceramics

New Zealand Maori Ornaments and Decorations. They are an ear ornament, real or imitation teeth, grotesque figures (tiki), earrings, a tail feather, a shell, wooden combs, a fly catcher

Long fingernails of a High Class Chinese Man
The extraordinarily long fingernails of a High Class Chinese Man

Grotesque Fish Merchants - Algeria
Grotesque Fish Merchants, shouting their wares up to the houses - Algeria. Date: circa 1903

Misfitz Dolls - Punch. early 20th century

Snap Playing Cards - box lid. circa 1910s

Carvings by Abbe Foure at Rotheneuf, France
Rotheneuf, France - The Emerald Coast - The Rock Carvings. The village is a seaside resort but is famous for its sculpted rocks, " rochers sculptes"

Cartoon, Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, WW1
Cartoon, Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, showing a grotesque, pantomime ogre-like Kaiser Wilhelm II wielding a club, with blood dripping from the club

SPAIN. Salamanca. University of Salamanca. Grotesque decoration in a column attached to the facade. Renaissance art. Plateresque

Smiling face balloon
Satirical cartoon showing a smiling human face as a balloon in process of being inflated, implying a madness perhaps caused by the gas entering the brain. 1784

The tailor becomes a storekeeper A grotesque comedy by David Pinski : Dalys Theatre. Poster for Federal Theatre Project presentation of The Tailor Becomes a Storekeeper at Dalys Theatre

Grotesque gyrations by gifted eccentriques. Date c1900

A timekeeper: singers in 1831
A robed choirmaster beats time whilst the choir sing lustily. Date: 1831

The Toilet of Helen by Aubrey Beardsley, an illustration to his novel Under the Hill. A bare-breasted Helen is preened and pampered by decorative ladies in 18th century dress

The Scarlet Pastorale by Aubrey Beardsley. A masked harlequinned pierrot on a stage with other masked characters behind. Date: 1890s

Grotesque puppeteer
A rather grotesque and gigantic puppeteer performs a lewd puppet show for an equally lewd looking audience of considerably smaller people. Date: 1919

Tilton Church Gargoyle
A gargoyle on Tilton Church, Leicestershire, England. Date: 1960s

THE ALFRISTON LION
Cyclists admire a grotesque figure outside the Star Inn. at Alfriston, Sussex, England. Known as the Alfriston Lion, it was once the figurehead of a Dutch warship. Date: August 1940

Medieval Trumpeters
Three trumpeters of the 14th century, wearing the grotesque garments associated with their profession : they probably belong to a noble household. Date: 1314? - 1369

Theatre / Exotic / Thailand
Actors and actresses in the traditional costume of Siam (modern Thailand). Date: circa 1880

Isadora Duncan / Simplicis
ISADORA DUNCAN Inspired by the American dancer, German ladies try to dance as she does Date: 1878 - 1927

Japanese depiction of an English Christmas
English Christmas scenes depicted by a Japanese artist, including a pantomime; making a Christmas pudding; Christmas dinner; playing croquet

Rotheneuf, France - Emerald Coast - The Rock Carvings
Rotheneuf, France - The Emerald Coast - The Rock Carvings. The village is a seaside resort but is famous for its sculpted rocks, " rochers sculpts"

Soldiers on parade
British Troops Drilling outside The Devils Cave attraction at the White City exhibition grounds, Shepherds Bush, London

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