Showing posts with label Thames. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thames. Show all posts

Monday, 2 December 2019

Lara Maiklem II



Lara Maiklem has been collaging some of her amazing finds, above is Jack Frost.
"This chilly chap is made up of a conglomeration of finds, including a paleolithic flint; a 17th century Bellarmine jug face; human teeth; medieval mail; boar tusks; handmade iron ship nails (c.15-18th century); a copper alloy needle (c.15-18th century); cloak fasteners (c.16th century); glass 'seed' beads; semiprecious stone beads; mother of pearl buttons (c.19th century); handmade dress pins (c.15-18th century); mounts (c.15-18th century); a pearl bead." Lara Maiklem
Above: A partridge in a pear tree.

"My pear tree is made up of 17th and 18th century clay pipes; its trunk is a late 17th century wig curler; the ground is Roman mosaic (tesserae) pieces,;the pears are 16th century glass goblet stems and a modern glass stopper; the 'partridge' is a 17th century pipe clay 'fairing' (a cheap child's toy sold at fairs), it has a halo of beads - cane trade beads (c.17th century), a chevron trade bead (c.16th century), two coral beads and blue glass beads." Lara Maiklem


 "The sleigh driver is a mid-century (or earlier) snow baby and his sleigh is being pulled by a collection of broken toy lead horses. The sleigh is made up of a betty lamp hook (c.19th century) a medieval knife handle, two Tudor cloak hooks and an early 17th-century bone pocket sundial. His booty includes scraps of gold, semi-precious stones, glass (paste) jewels, a Roman ring intaglio, a Roman melon bead and a pearl bead - all found by eye on the Thames foreshore." Lara Maiklem

Thursday, 11 July 2019

Lara Maiklem




I have been following various Mud Larkers including Lara Maiklem for some time now and I was thrilled that she announced her book release for 'Mudlarking' and forthcoming feature on Radio 4's Book of the week. The endpapers above are illustrated by a fellow mud larker called Jonny, from his mud larking diary and are stunning!


Mud Larkers are people who beach comb the tidal line of the Thames in London for treasure . . .

Above: spectacle lenses all found within half a mile of each other. 
Below: 19th-century clay pipe bowl


and treasure they find! 

Above: Frozen Charlottes are glazed or unglazed porcelain dolls that date from the mid-19th-century to the early 20th-century. 
Below: a selection of precious and semi-precious beads. Bottom: Horseheads.