Friday, March 4, 2011

The Artifact

Florian Mellies not only sculpted this wonderful piece, but then he put together an incredibly well done tableau to show it off. I love the visual density of the marking ruler, maps, and assorted bric-a-brac. There's a whole adventure just waiting to come alive.

5 comments:

  1. Great piece. The fact that it's broken makes it really realistic.

    [And the artist's name reminds me of G.Méliès, the cinema pioneer who "invented" special fx!]

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  2. This particular specimen carries more authenticity than many props we’ve seen – it is broken, leaving an incomplete artifact. Even well cared for relics and ritual items may be abandoned or buried, burnt, change hands in rulership, or have intentional defacing. And they might be dropped, mishelved, or otherwise poorly handled during study. This essence is captured in the photo.
    What significance did the rest of the tablet hold, I wonder?

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  3. That’s a nice photo. It lends credence to the illusion of an archeological photo and thus to the artifact. Good prop settings really enhance the feeling the object is trying to elicit. Also, an in situ photo of the item being dug up as a snapshot lying next to the workbench photo would add a little more to the montage. Maybe a Miskatonic University embossed pencil carelessly lying around would be an added eye candy.

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  4. Why would a pentagonal floor tile from elder thing architecture show a portrait of Cthulhu? The plot deepens...

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  5. Or was it hexagonal? Damn you, memory.

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