Shake it, Baby! For the 18th Century Bairn who has Everything

I admit I find this item as exciting as a ceremonial sword, and depending on the previous owner, it might have been just as dangerous…!

Here we have a very rare  – as it’s still intact! – 18th century baby rattle/teether!

This little piece of art is made from red coral (the teether-part) and silver.

Fitted with a whistle, it offers many opportunities for an adventurous child to drive mum and dad up the wall.

Made in 1793, according to the Antiques Roadshow expert buying this for your baby would set you back £ 1’500 – with all bells and whistles!

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Extraordinary 18th Century Sewing Box. Sew Cute!

I have two left hands and ten thumbs, so I admire this item for the art it represents rather than the art you could create with it. And art it is; without a doubt one of the cutest sewing boxes I’ve ever seen! Without further ado: Sewing Cottage!

It’s made of engraved ivory; lined in sandalwood, and was created in Visakhapatnam, India.

The expert of the Antiques Roadshow dated it to the second half of the 18th century and estimated its worth to at least between £ 5’000 and £ 8’000. You’d have to sew and sell quite a few handkerchiefs for that!

Horatio Nelson got a Make-Over

After the finding-royals-under-the-car-park fad, we now have the give-history-a-make-over craze.

Historical hipsters: Shakespeare and Elizabeth I get makeovers from modern artists

I admit, seeing “Elizabeth I” and “hipster” in one sentence is painful; Shakespeare, however…

For Yesterday’s series “Secret Life of…”, historian Dr Suzannah Lipscom and a team of digital artists have given a number of historical portraits a modern make-over. Maybe nothing for purists, but I think it’s a fascinating idea, though the execution is a bit hit and miss. Marie Antoinette looks like Lindsey Lohan. Maria Theresia is nicht amüsiert.

But this – this, dear friends, is priceless:

In case the title of this post wasn’t a give-away:

Genius! I absolutely love the robotic hand! Now I’d like to see modern!Collingwood, wearing dungarees and battling snails in his cabbage patch in Morpeth.

Well, I have a contribution as well. Beat that!

Well, and then there’s this, of course – yes, we’ve had it before, but it’s so amazing, it deserves an encore. Plus, you can never have too much of a good thing.