Round 28: the three open objects
Real photographs of each candidate, to pick from (answer in chat, e.g. "F3, R2, L1"). Your pick gets modelled in round 29, in the inspect view and on the floor like the lens and the gem.
FIRE: A BURNED DOLL
The doll is yours; which kind of doll it was is open. Each burns differently. (No open photograph of a burned doll exists: each kind shows the doll whole or broken, plus how its material burns.)
F1. Porcelain (bisque) doll
The glazed face blackens and crazes, the glass eyes survive; the cloth body burns away to the stuffing. A precious, kept thing.
F2. Rag doll
Cloth chars and burns through in holes, stuffing shows, button or stitched eyes. Homemade, soft, poor.
F3. Carved wooden doll
Wood chars into cracked alligator scales, the joints and pegs stay; hard, old, folk.
F4. Straw effigy
A figure made to be burned (Marzanna, wara ningyo): fire as ritual or curse, not accident.
sources
# fire: sources Reference photographs gathered 2026-09-29 for the owner's pick. Licences are as stated on the source page; where none is stated it says so (reference use only, never ship). NOTE ON THE FIRE SLOT: I found no open-licensed photograph of a real, burned doll (Commons, museum open access, Flickr, Digitalt Museum, Maryland archaeology all searched). Burned-state references available: straw effigies burning/burnt (straw), fire-char on wood with alligator cracking (wooden), broken bisque heads excavated at a fire-destroyed farmstead (bisque). Rag has no burned reference at all. ## bisque - `bisque/01-antique-bisque-dix.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antique_doll_(5626864579).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/Antique_doll_%285626864579%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 2.0, Katherine Dix - shows: Antique bisque-head doll with glass eyes, curled wig and lace dress; the crazed, matte-skin bisque look up close. - `bisque/02-bisque-head-cloth-body.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bisque_Head_Doll_with_Molded_Blond_Hair_and_Red,_Pink,_and_White_Cotton_Print_Dress.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Bisque_Head_Doll_with_Molded_Blond_Hair_and_Red%2C_Pink%2C_and_White_Cotton_Print_Dress.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (as stated on Commons; author unknown) - shows: Moulded-hair Victorian bisque shoulder-head on a stuffed cloth body in a print dress, clean studio shot on grey. Most 'classic Victorian' silhouette. - `bisque/03-jumeau-museum.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poup%C3%A9e_B%C3%A9b%C3%A9_Jumeau_(Mus%C3%A9e_des_arts_d%C3%A9coratifs,_Paris).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Poup%C3%A9e_B%C3%A9b%C3%A9_Jumeau_%28Mus%C3%A9e_des_arts_d%C3%A9coratifs%2C_Paris%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 2.0, Jean-Pierre Dalbéra - shows: Late-19th-century Jumeau with jointed composition body, ringlets, glass eyes, standing on a plain museum plinth. - `bisque/04-bessie-chicago-fire-survivor.jpg` - page: https://www.wttw.com/chicago-stories/chicago-fire/the-water-tower-survived-we-will-survive-the-buildings-and-objects-that-outlasted-the-chicago-fire - image: https://interactive.wttw.com/sites/default/files/cscf-bessie_01.jpg - licence/credit: (c) WTTW / Chicago History Museum object (rights not stated); reference use only. Companion page: https://www.greatchicagofire.org/souvenirs-libraries/rescue-of-bessie/ - shows: 'Bessie', a china/bisque-head doll with braids and a striped dress that survived the 1871 Chicago fire. The photographed doll shows no visible burn damage. - `bisque/05-broken-bisque-face-mask.jpg` - page: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Home/IndividualCard.aspx?OBJID=5042 - image: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Photos/SmallFinds/ToysAndGames/Toys-18MO609-254-1-1.jpg - licence/credit: Image courtesy of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum (site 18MO609, Jackson Homestead, a farmstead destroyed by fire) - shows: Smashed bisque doll head excavated from a burned farmstead: brown painted face shell in fragments with holes where the eyes and cheek were, black painted brows. Best 'cracked/broken bisque' shot; the card does not state that this piece is burned. - `bisque/06-broken-socket-head.jpg` - page: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Home/IndividualCard.aspx?OBJID=5070 - image: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Photos/SmallFinds/ToysAndGames/Toys-18QU124-79-2-1.jpg - licence/credit: Image courtesy of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum (site 18QU124, Queenstown Courthouse) - shows: Bisque socket head broken open: hollow inside, pink painted cheek and nostril surviving on a jagged fragment. Shows the shell thickness. - `bisque/07-small-glazed-head-fragment.jpg` - page: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Home/IndividualCard.aspx?OBJID=5026 - image: https://apps.jefpat.maryland.gov/diagnostic/Photos/SmallFinds/ToysAndGames/Toys-18MO609-234-1-1.jpg - licence/credit: Image courtesy of the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum (site 18MO609, destroyed by fire) - shows: White glazed porcelain doll head with moulded curls, chipped at the neck. Minor value, shows the white porcelain and the broken edge. ## rag - `rag/01-swedish-17th-c-cloth-doll.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Liten_dr%C3%A4ktdocka_fr%C3%A5n_1600-talet_-_Livrustkammaren_-_91555.tif - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Liten_dr%C3%A4ktdocka_fr%C3%A5n_1600-talet_-_Livrustkammaren_-_91555.tif (JPEG rendered via Special:FilePath?width=1600) - licence/credit: Public domain (Erik Lernestal; Livrustkammaren, Stockholm) - shows: Small 17th-century costume doll: worn, darkened cloth skirt with metallic lace, muff, tiny painted face. Old, dingy, and fragile, the closest to how a real antique cloth doll ages. - `rag/02-rag-and-wax-c1880.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Guildhall_Museum_Collection_1-17_c1880_Rag_Wax_half_limbs_saddle_head_3165.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/Guildhall_Museum_Collection_1-17_c1880_Rag_Wax_half_limbs_saddle_head_3165.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, Clem Rutter - shows: c.1880 rag-bodied doll with a wax saddle head, bonnet and cape, in a museum case (dark red backdrop, shot through glass). - `rag/03-handmade-1945.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puppe_handgefertigt_um_1945.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Puppe_handgefertigt_um_1945.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, D. Fuchsberger - shows: Crude handmade c.1945 cloth doll on white: felt-scrap limbs, green wool skirt, faceless. Very close to a 'poor man's rag doll'. - `rag/04-kyivan-motanka.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%97%D0%B2%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/%D0%9A%D0%B8%D1%97%D0%B2%D1%81%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%BA%D0%B0.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Марися Лебідь - shows: Ukrainian folk motanka: faceless rolled-cloth doll with embroidered blouse, beads and headscarf. A folk-ritual doll; it is a modern maker's piece, not antique. - `rag/05-amish-faceless.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amish_Dolls.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Amish_Dolls.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, ChesPal (Debra Heaphy) - shows: Two faceless Amish rag dolls, blank white heads, hats, one holding a pumpkin. Iconic blank-face silhouette. ## wooden - `wooden/01-groden-dressed.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dressed_dutch_doll_Gr%C3%B6den.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Dressed_dutch_doll_Gr%C3%B6den.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, Wolfgang Moroder - shows: Late-19th-century Val Gardena 'penny doll': carved painted head, pink print dress and lace, on a dark brown backdrop. - `wooden/02-groden-undressed.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dutch_doll_from_Gr%C3%B6den.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Dutch_doll_from_Gr%C3%B6den.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, Wolfgang Moroder (private collection) - shows: Same kind undressed: pegged wooden limbs, painted black hair, red cheeks. Shows the bare wood body that would char. - `wooden/03-gliederpuppe-jointed.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gliederpuppe.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Gliederpuppe.jpg - licence/credit: Licence not retrieved; check the Commons page - shows: Jointed wooden Dutch/peg doll with curled painted hair, bare torso, painted white sleeves and stockings. - `wooden/04-weathered-penny-doll.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Penny_or_stickdoll.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Penny_or_stickdoll.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Wolfgang Moroder - shows: Old worn stick/penny doll seated in sun: paint flaking off the head, pegged limbs. Best 'old and weathered wood' state. - `wooden/05-auckland-museum-jointed.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Doll,_wooden_(AM_2017.117.56-4).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/Doll%2C_wooden_%28AM_2017.117.56-4%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 4.0, Auckland Museum - shows: Museum shot on white: carved jointed wooden doll laid flat beside its knitted underpants. - `wooden/06-char-alligator-cracks.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Charred_wood_(14992055232).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Charred_wood_%2814992055232%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 2.0, dotun55 - shows: CHAR REFERENCE: extreme close-up of burned wood broken into the classic glossy 'alligator skin' cells. 1024 px. - `wooden/07-char-yakisugi-surface.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Surface_of_Yakisugi.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Surface_of_Yakisugi.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 2.0, japanese_craft_construction - shows: CHAR REFERENCE: yakisugi (deliberately charred cedar) boards, matte grey-black with vertical alligator cracking. - `wooden/08-char-shou-sugi-ban-planks.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Exemple_shou-sugi-ban.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Exemple_shou-sugi-ban.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Caroistda - shows: CHAR REFERENCE: planks charred to different depths, showing the crack pattern going from fine to deep. ## straw - `straw/01-marzanna-scarecrow.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marzanna.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Marzanna.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY 3.0, Ratomir Wilkowski - shows: Straw-and-sticks Morana/Marzanna effigy tied to a pole frame, blue shirt, painted face, before the burning. - `straw/02-marzanna-ribbons.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marzanna_-_spring_doll.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Marzanna_-_spring_doll.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Klarqa (Klara Sielicka-Baryłka) - shows: Marzanna made in 2014 dressed in streamers and flowers, leaned against a tree. - `straw/03-little-straw-dolls-stall.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_dolls_for_burning_on_Maslenitsa,_pre-Lenten_festival.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Little_dolls_for_burning_on_Maslenitsa%2C_pre-Lenten_festival.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Olga-lisenkova - shows: Rows of small straw-and-rag dolls made to be burned at Maslenitsa, on sale at a stall. Best doll-sized straw reference. - `straw/04-maslenitsa-effigy-just-lit.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4003WI.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b6/%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4003WI.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Kora27 - shows: Big Maslenitsa effigy (Saint Petersburg, 2021) standing on its brushwood pile at the moment fire is set. - `straw/05-maslenitsa-effigy-burning.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4009WI.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4009WI.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Kora27 - shows: Same effigy a minute later, flames running up one side while the other side is still intact. - `straw/06-maslenitsa-effigy-engulfed.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4038WI.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/04/%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4038WI.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Kora27 - shows: Effigy fully engulfed at night, figure still readable inside the flame. - `straw/07-maslenitsa-effigy-burnt-frame.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4159WI.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c6/%D0%A1%D0%B6%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D1%87%D1%83%D1%87%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B0_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%8B_2021_2H1A4159WI.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Kora27 - shows: Late stage: cloth and straw gone, only the glowing wooden frame of the figure left standing in the embers. - `straw/08-carnival-puppet-burning.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carnival_Puppet_burning.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/Carnival_Puppet_burning.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, RoubinakiM - shows: Cloth-and-straw carnival puppet lying on cobbles with fire streaming off its head, shirt and trousers scorching. Closest to a lifelike effigy actually burning; 960x720.
ROCK: MAGNETISM, NOT MODERN
Something about magnetism that could exist in another world.
R1. Armed lodestone
A lodestone bound in brass with iron feet and a ring, holding up an iron weight (17th-18th century). Crafted, scholarly, alchemical.
R2. Raw lodestone
A black magnetite stone with iron filings and nails standing up along its field. Natural and uncanny: a rock that pulls rocks, the field made visible.
R3. South-pointing spoon
The Han lodestone spoon turning on a bronze divination board. Ancient, a fortune-teller's tool.
R4. South-pointing fish
A thin iron fish floated in a bowl of water, turning to point south. Gentle, folk. (Only a classroom demo photo exists; no museum reconstruction found.)
sources
# rock: sources Reference photographs gathered 2026-09-29 for the owner's pick. Licences are as stated on the source page; where none is stated it says so (reference use only, never ship). ## armed-lodestone - `armed-lodestone/01-harvard-silver-c1650.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lodestone_mounted_in_silver,_with_images_of_the_winds,_England,_c._1650_-_Putnam_Gallery_-_Harvard_University_-_DSC07930.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Lodestone_mounted_in_silver%2C_with_images_of_the_winds%2C_England%2C_c._1650_-_Putnam_Gallery_-_Harvard_University_-_DSC07930.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (Daderot, via Wikimedia Commons); Harvard CHSI, Putnam Gallery - shows: English c.1650: raw dark lodestone banded with engraved scalloped silver straps, pierced silver end-plate showing the winds, two square iron pole 'feet' projecting. - `armed-lodestone/02-coimbra-dugood-1751.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_magnet_mounted_on_a_stand,_William_Dugood,_Lisbon,_1751_-_Museu_da_Ci%C3%AAncia_da_Universidade_de_Coimbra_-_University_of_Coimbra_-_Coimbra,_Portugal_-_DSC09178.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Natural_magnet_mounted_on_a_stand%2C_William_Dugood%2C_Lisbon%2C_1751_-_Museu_da_Ci%C3%AAncia_da_Universidade_de_Coimbra_-_University_of_Coimbra_-_Coimbra%2C_Portugal_-_DSC09178.jpg - licence/credit: CC0 (Daderot); Museu da Ciência, Univ. of Coimbra - shows: William Dugood, Lisbon 1751: red-painted stone in an iron cage with a keeper, hung from a red cord off a gilt bracket over a wooden case. Very 'fantasy relic' silhouette. - `armed-lodestone/03-wellcome-queen-anne-copy.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Copy_of_Lodestone_believed_to_have_been_used_by_Queen_Anne,_Wellcome_L0057035.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Copy_of_Lodestone_believed_to_have_been_used_by_Queen_Anne%2C_Wellcome_L0057035.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 4.0, Wellcome Collection - shows: Copy of a lodestone said to be Queen Anne's: dark stone in a flat silver frame with filigree suspension loop, monogram, and iron pole-pieces on the bottom edge. - `armed-lodestone/04-coimbra-gilt-crown-mount.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chinese_magnet_(12kg_magnetite_gift_of_Kangxi_Emperor_to_Joao_V),_William_Dugood,_Lisbon,_after_1722_-_Museu_da_Ci%C3%AAncia_da_Universidade_de_Coimbra_-_University_of_Coimbra_-_Coimbra,_Portugal_-_DSC09172.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Chinese_magnet_%2812kg_magnetite_gift_of_Kangxi_Emperor_to_Joao_V%29%2C_William_Dugood%2C_Lisbon%2C_after_1722_-_Museu_da_Ci%C3%AAncia_da_Universidade_de_Coimbra_-_University_of_Coimbra_-_Coimbra%2C_Portugal_-_DSC09172.jpg - licence/credit: CC0 (Daderot); Museu da Ciência, Univ. of Coimbra - shows: 12 kg Chinese magnetite in a gilt-bronze crown mount hanging between two columns, iron keeper beneath: the most ornate, royal-relic version. - `armed-lodestone/05-smg-george-iii-angled.jpg` - page: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co1792/george-iiis-lodestone - image: https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/122/824/large_1929_0113_0001__0002_.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, (c) Science Museum Group - shows: George III's lodestone (George Adams, London, 1762): magnetite in an engraved silver case with royal arms, open-scroll suspension ring, iron pole foot visible. Angled studio shot. - `armed-lodestone/06-smg-george-iii-front.jpg` - page: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co1792/george-iiis-lodestone - image: https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/73/423/large_1929_0113__0001_.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 (SMG page credits this frame to King's College London) - shows: Same object, straight-on on black: engraved arms, silver lid, suspension loop, two iron feet. - `armed-lodestone/07-smg-george-iii-with-keeper.jpg` - page: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co1792/george-iiis-lodestone - image: https://coimages.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/56/844/large_b490124.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, (c) Science Museum Group - shows: Black-and-white record shot with its iron keeper (bar with hanging ring) and scale bar: shows how the keeper closes the poles. ## raw-lodestone - `raw-lodestone/01-filings-bristling-at-poles.jpg` - page: https://tesladownunder.com/www1/tag/lodestone - image: https://tesladownunder.com/www1/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Lodestone.jpg - licence/credit: Not stated (Tesla Down Under, Peter Terren, 2013); reference use only - shows: Rounded dark lodestone on yellow with iron filings standing up in bristles at the poles. The best 'bristling along its field' image found; 989 px only. - `raw-lodestone/02-hot-spring-1-filing-hair.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lodestone_(Hot_Spring_County,_Arkansas,_USA)_1.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Lodestone_%28Hot_Spring_County%2C_Arkansas%2C_USA%29_1.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 2.0, James St. John - shows: Metallic dark rusty specimen; fine 'hair' of filings visible along its edges (Commons description notes this). - `raw-lodestone/03-hot-spring-2-filing-fuzz.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lodestone_(Hot_Spring_County,_Arkansas,_USA)_2.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Lodestone_%28Hot_Spring_County%2C_Arkansas%2C_USA%29_2.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 2.0, James St. John - shows: Rough tan-and-grey chunk with a fringe of filings along the top edge. - `raw-lodestone/04-magnet-cove-nails.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lodestone_(Magnet_Cove_Complex,_mid-Cretaceous,_96-102_Ma%3B_Magnet_Cove,_Arkansas,_USA)_4.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Lodestone_%28Magnet_Cove_Complex%2C_mid-Cretaceous%2C_96-102_Ma%3B_Magnet_Cove%2C_Arkansas%2C_USA%29_4.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 2.0, James St. John - shows: Big glittering lodestone slab with three iron nails stuck to its face at angles. - `raw-lodestone/05-black-with-pins.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lodestone_(black).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Lodestone_%28black%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 3.0, Teravolt - shows: Small black pebble-like lodestone with two pins clinging to it on a white towel. - `raw-lodestone/06-smithsonian-paperclips.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Magnetite_Lodestone.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Magnetite_Lodestone.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 2.0, Ryan Somma (Smithsonian display) - shows: Low-key shot of a lodestone in a museum case with a chain of paper clips hanging off it. ## sinan - `sinan/01-model-on-bronze-board.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Model_Si_Nan_of_Han_Dynasty.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Model_Si_Nan_of_Han_Dynasty.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 (Commons; author not specified) - shows: Bronze-coloured replica: ladle-shaped spoon on the square 'heaven-earth' plate, inscribed with the cardinal and 24 directions. 839x573 only. - `sinan/02-replica-stan-sherer.jpg` - page: https://hakaimagazine.com/?p=29817 - image: https://hakaimagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/header-south-pointing-spoon.jpg - licence/credit: Photo credit Stan Sherer (Hakai Magazine); rights not stated; reference use only - shows: 20th-century replica: dark lodestone spoon with a long thin handle on a brass diviner's plate with a raised round disc, on blue. The nicest lit view of the spoon itself. - `sinan/03-smith-college-replica.jpg` - page: https://www.smith.edu/bigbad/historyscitech/museum/ancient_inventions/compass2.html - image: https://www.smith.edu/bigbad/historyscitech/museum/ancient_inventions/images/compass1.jpg - licence/credit: Smith College Museum of Ancient Inventions (rights not stated); reference use only - shows: Appears to be the same Smith replica as 02 (Silverman, 1999), wider crop. 545 px only. - `sinan/04-kaifeng-monument.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antic_chinese_Compass.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Antic_chinese_Compass.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (photo taken in Kaifeng, Henan, credited to Yug) - shows: Monumental bronze sinan on a plinth outdoors: huge ladle balanced on the square plate. Shows the object at monument scale. - `sinan/05-hk-space-museum.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HKSM_%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%A4%AA%E7%A9%BA%E9%A4%A8_Hong_Kong_Space_Museum_%E6%8C%87%E5%8D%97%E9%87%9D_compass_Jan-2013.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/HKSM_%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%A4%AA%E7%A9%BA%E9%A4%A8_Hong_Kong_Space_Museum_%E6%8C%87%E5%8D%97%E9%87%9D_compass_Jan-2013.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, Relammik - shows: Museum case: dark bronze plate with a spoon pointing along its diagonal, caption card beside it. Shows the patina. ## south-pointing-fish - `south-pointing-fish/01-hmns-craft-demo.jpg` - page: https://blog.hmns.org/2017/02/educator-how-to-make-your-own-ancient-chinese-compass/ - image: https://blog.hmns.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/compass1.jpg - licence/credit: (c) Houston Museum of Natural Science blog (rights not stated); reference use only - shows: WEAK: a foam-cut fish with a magnetized needle floating in an orange bowl of water. It is a classroom craft demo, not a museum reconstruction. Only image of a floating fish compass I could find.
LIFT AND BURST: NO IDEA YET
Lifts them into the air; his fist closes and they burst. My candidates.
L1. Pomegranate, split
Bursting open, seeds like blood; the underworld's fruit (Persephone). The burst.
L2. Milkweed pod
A dry pod split open, its silk seeds lifting out on the air. The lift, and letting go.
L3. Puffball
A fungus that bursts into a cloud when squeezed. The fist, and a cave thing.
L4. Hand of Sabazios
A Roman bronze votive hand raised in blessing, a snake climbing it. The gesture itself.
sources
# lift: sources Reference photographs gathered 2026-09-29 for the owner's pick. Licences are as stated on the source page; where none is stated it says so (reference use only, never ship). ## votive-hand - `votive-hand/01-walters-front.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_-_Hand_of_Sabazius_-_Walters_542453.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Roman_-_Hand_of_Sabazius_-_Walters_542453.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (Walters Art Museum, acc. 54.2453, via Wikimedia Commons) - shows: Roman bronze Hand of Sabazius, front view on plain background: raised hand in blessing, coiled snake, pine cone fingertip, temple-shrine base, green patina. - `votive-hand/02-walters-three-quarter-left.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_-_Hand_of_Sabazius_-_Walters_542453_-_Three_Quarter_Left.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Roman_-_Hand_of_Sabazius_-_Walters_542453_-_Three_Quarter_Left.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (Walters Art Museum) - shows: Same Walters hand, three-quarter view: the snake winding round the wrist and up the thumb side, hand pose (two fingers up, ring and little finger folded) reads clearly. - `votive-hand/03-walters-back.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_-_Hand_of_Sabazius_-_Walters_542453_-_Back.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Roman_-_Hand_of_Sabazius_-_Walters_542453_-_Back.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (Walters Art Museum) - shows: Same Walters hand from behind: snakes coiled around the sleeve/base, lizards and small figures cast onto the surface. - `votive-hand/04-british-museum-black.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HandOfSabazius.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/HandOfSabazius.JPG - licence/credit: Public domain (Mike Young, en.wikipedia; transferred to Commons) - shows: British Museum hand (1824,0441.1, the black-repatinated one): snake over the fingers, ram's head, vessels, pine cone, crisp relief. Cut-out background with a stray 'K' mark on the base. - `votive-hand/05-museum-display-nanosanchez.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Manosabazia3.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Manosabazia3.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain (Nanosanchez, own work) - shows: Another Sabazios hand in a museum case (label 56): rougher dark bronze, snake rising off the little-finger side, seated figure between the fingers. ## pomegranate - `pomegranate/01-cross-section.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pomegranate_(opened).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Pomegranate_%28opened%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Ivar Leidus - shows: Halved pomegranate seen face-on: the tight ring of red arils packed in white membrane. - `pomegranate/02-whole-and-broken-piece.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pomegranate_fruit_-_whole_and_piece_with_arils.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Pomegranate_fruit_-_whole_and_piece_with_arils.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Ivar Leidus - shows: Whole fruit beside a broken-off piece with arils, a few loose seeds on the ground, plain grey background. - `pomegranate/03-burst-open-in-crate.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Pomegranate_fruit.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Open_Pomegranate_fruit.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Nhlord - shows: A leathery pomegranate that has split wide open among others, arils spilling out of the torn rind. The best 'burst' read. - `pomegranate/04-split-on-a-stump.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pomegranate_On_The_Wood.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Pomegranate_On_The_Wood.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Konstantine Gagua - shows: Ripe pomegranate cracked open on a wooden stump, arils showing on one side. - `pomegranate/05-whole-cracking-open.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cracked_pomegranate_2017_C1.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Cracked_pomegranate_2017_C1.jpg - licence/credit: CC0, Fructibus - shows: Whole fruit on white with a deep vertical split down its side; the moment before it bursts. - `pomegranate/06-dried-whole-bunch.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dried_Pomegranates.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Dried_Pomegranates.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Nurshin - shows: Bunch of whole dried, leathery, orange-brown pomegranates hung on a wall (the 'dried whole' object). ## milkweed-pod - `milkweed-pod/01-open-pod-floss-and-seeds.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Open_Milkweed_Pod_(37625998186).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Open_Milkweed_Pod_%2837625998186%29.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain, USFWS Mountain Prairie - shows: Dried pod split open like a boat, rows of brown seeds and a spill of white silk. The clearest 'pod opened' shot. - `milkweed-pod/02-pod-with-seed-fan.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_syriaca_8287.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Asclepias_syriaca_8287.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, R. A. Nonenmacher - shows: Grey warty pod half open, seeds fanned out along the white floss. - `milkweed-pod/03-floss-spilling-out.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_syriaca_close_up_of_the_seeds.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Asclepias_syriaca_close_up_of_the_seeds.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, Brocken Inaglory - shows: Old pod hanging open with a curtain of silk and seeds spilling out and lifting. - `milkweed-pod/04-seeds-floating-on-silk.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_syriaca_seeds.JPG - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Asclepias_syriaca_seeds.JPG - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 3.0, Mykola Swarnyk - shows: Pod edge-on with several seeds already drifting away on their silk parachutes (the 'floating' read). - `milkweed-pod/05-dried-pods-on-stalk-1.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_syriaca_sl8.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Asclepias_syriaca_sl8.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Stefan.lefnaer - shows: Two split, papery dried pods on a bare winter stalk with floss escaping. - `milkweed-pod/06-dried-pods-on-stalk-2.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Asclepias_syriaca_sl9.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Asclepias_syriaca_sl9.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Stefan.lefnaer - shows: Same stalk, blue sky: opened husks and a puff of floss, good silhouette. ## puffball - `puffball/01-spore-puff-column.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puffballs_emitting_spores.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/Puffballs_emitting_spores.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Lesmalvern - shows: Two puffballs on black; one sends up a column of spore smoke. The classic 'puff'. - `puffball/02-spore-stream-macro.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puffball_spore_macro_in_field.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/18/Puffball_spore_macro_in_field.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY 4.0, Brendan gibat - shows: Macro of a puffball jetting a brown stream of spores after being touched. - `puffball/03-torn-open-mature.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puffball._(52191814223).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Puffball._%2852191814223%29.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain, Bernard Spragg (NZ) - shows: Yellow-skinned fruitbody torn open at the top, dark dusty spore mass showing (photographer's caption: bursts and emits brown spore clouds). Species looks earthball-like. - `puffball/04-ruptured.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruptured_Puffball._(51880767763).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Ruptured_Puffball._%2851880767763%29.jpg - licence/credit: Public domain, Bernard Spragg (NZ) - shows: Same kind of fruitbody, older, ruptured and split into ragged lobes around the spore mass. - `puffball/05-old-with-torn-mouths.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parelstuifzwam_(Lycoperdon_perlatum).jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Parelstuifzwam_%28Lycoperdon_perlatum%29.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Garnhami - shows: Mature Lycoperdon perlatum on leaf litter, each with a ragged torn mouth where the spores went out (the 'dried old one with the torn mouth'). - `puffball/06-giant-mature-spore-body.jpg` - page: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mature_Giant_Puffball_(Calvatia_gigantea),_Auchincruive,_Ayrshire,_Scotland_-_spore_body.jpg - image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3f/Mature_Giant_Puffball_%28Calvatia_gigantea%29%2C_Auchincruive%2C_Ayrshire%2C_Scotland_-_spore_body.jpg - licence/credit: CC BY-SA 4.0, Rosser1954 - shows: Old giant puffball gone to a brown felted, collapsed spore body (the late stage, no longer white).