V&A text: This is an image of Nandi, the sacred bull-calf. In Sanskrit Nandi means ‘joyfulness’ or ‘blissfulness’ and refers to the emotions experienced by a devotee in the presence of Lord Shiva. Temples dedicated to Shiva, the Hindu lord of creation and destruction, are found throughout the Indian subcontinent. An essential element in any Shiva temple is the image of Nandi. It occupies an axial position, focusing the attention of the faithful from the outer halls of the temple directly into its spiritual heart, the ‘garbhagrha’ (‘womb chamber’).
Late 16th century-early 17th century (made).

114 images, sony A600 gallery lighting, reality capture 1.1. Poorly captured ears, under foreleg and very shiny stone. Quite a reasonable model given that....

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O24787/nandi-figure-unknown/

Nandi Bull

Usually Ouroboros is eating its own tail. This however is a calm one.

About Ouroboros

Ouroboros, emblematic serpent of ancient Egypt and Greece represented with its tail in its mouth, continually devouring itself and being reborn from itself. A gnostic and alchemical symbol, Ouroboros expresses the unity of all things, material and spiritual, which never disappear but perpetually change form in an eternal cycle of destruction and re-creation. -https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ouroboros

Some snakes, such as rat snakes, have been known to consume themselves. One captive snake attempted to consume itself twice, dying in the second attempt. Another wild rat snake was found having swallowed about two-thirds of its body.

**If you want the same look in blender, Use the plugin to import it. or download the additional .zip file. it has materials with textures assigned. **

Ouroboros The Calm

Imitates the battle sample. Double axes were known in the ancient civilizations of the Mediterranean, and often had a ritual or sacred significance. Consists of a handle and the axe head. Made of steel and shaped as two crescents, located symmetrically about the central axis of the handle. The axe tube goes into a flat tip, consisting of a notched "apple" and rhombic plume. The handle is steel, octagonal, with a knob on the end. The tip has engraving in Arabic (1201-?); both-the axe and the tip-decorated with floral ornament and stylized images of animals. The upper part of the handle is decorated with floral ornament inlaid with silver.


Country: Iran, Caucasus (?)

Time of production: XVIII-XX c.

Material: Steel

Decoration technique: Engraving, silvering

Sizes, cm: 84,5x21,0

Weight, kg: 1.729

Decorative Double-Bladed Battle Axe

The classical Nepali masks always represent deities or demons and never the dead or the ancestors. Besides, masks are more often used in processions and in rituals rather than in theatrical performances.

Nepalese tribal mask

This wooden statue was made around 1900, on the Andeman and Nicobar Islands, near India. It was known as a kareau, or ’scare-devil’. Religious ritual healers made the statues, which the islanders believed had magical protective powers.

Use our 3D Kareau statue model in the classroom to bring your curriculum teaching to life: https://learning-resources.sciencemuseum.org.uk/resources/statue-to-drive-away-evil-spirits

Find out more in the Science Museum Group online collection: https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/objects/co125762/

Statue to drive away evil spirits

"Assyrian kings ruled the world's largest empire prior to the rise of Persia in the 6th century bc, consolidating lands from Iran to Egypt [...] Masterfully executed with incised details and exaggerated musculature, this giant, fierce, protective spirit raises his right hand in a ritual salute. His left hand grasps a branch bearing rosettes, perhaps a stylized date palm. Across the center of the relief are inscribed lines of Akkadian cuneiform recounting military victories, conquests, plundered loot, and the reconstruction of the city. Destroyed in 612 bc, the palace lay buried for 24 centuries until rediscovered in 1845."

Neo-Assyrian, Iraq, Nimrud, Northwest Palace, reign of Ashurnasirpal II, 9th Century BC

Gypsum, Overall: 229.9 x 137 cm (90 1/2 x 53 7/8 in). Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1943.246

Location: 102A Ancient Near East

Online musuem record:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1943.246

Photogrammetry by Thomas Flynn

1943.246 Saluting Protective Spirit, 883-859 BC

Mahavira, Jnn, Gujarat, India, 1470, Jasper, represents the 24th tirthankara or spiritual master of Jainism. Museum of Cinquentenaire (Brussels, Belgium). Made with ReMake and ReCap from AutoDesk.

Jainism, traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion. Jainism followers are called "Jains", a word derived from the Sanskrit word jina and connoting the path of victory in crossing over life's stream of rebirths through an ethical and spiritual life. Jains trace their history through a succession of twenty-four victorious saviors and teachers known as Tirthankaras, with the first being Rishabhanatha, who is believed to have lived millions of years ago, and twenty-fourth being the Mahavira around 500 BCE. 

For more updates, please follow @GeoffreyMarchal on Twitter.

Mahavira

**Table from a gothic library in the Cistercian Abbey in Mogiła**

**For more images and further information, visit:**
https://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/objects-list/4433

Inventory number: OCM-Biblioteka Gotycka

Museum of Cistercian Spirituality and Culture with the Library in the Cistercian Abbey in Mogiła

**Digitisation: Regional Digitisation Lab, Małopolska Institute of Culture in Kraków, Poland; “Kultura cyfrowa 2024” Project**

Project Visualization (3D model + textures): Wojciech Szczekan

Table from a gothic library

Venus Verticordia White marble; c.1833-38 By John Gibson

Inscribed on the tortoise's shell: 'OPVS IOANNIS GIBSON ROMAE' Gibson recorded how the wealthy MP Joseph Neeld (1789 1856) had visited his studio in Rome several times before asking him to carve a 'Venus, nude, but with some drapery modestly arranged without sacrificing too much of the form'.

Inspired by Classical prototypes, Gibson showed the Roman goddess of love as an idealised female nude with elegant curves and soft modelling, holding the golden apple, awarded by Paris for her beauty. Although apples are often associated with carnal love, Gibson called his statue Venus Verticordia, or the turner of men's hearts and later recalled how he had

> 'endeavoured to give my Venus that spiritual elevation of character which results from purity and sweetness'.

https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/object/31066

Venus Verticordia

**Gothic library**

**For more images and further information, visit:**
https://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/objects-list/4433

Inventory number: OCM-Biblioteka Gotycka

Time and place: 1538 (polychrome)

Museum of Cistercian Spirituality and Culture with the Library in the Cistercian Abbey in Mogiła

**Digitisation: Regional Digitisation Lab, Małopolska Institute of Culture in Kraków, Poland; “Kultura cyfrowa 2024” Project**

Project Visualization (3D model + textures): Paweł Szelest

Gothic library

An inscribed oracle bone (jia gu 甲骨) from the Couling-Chalfant collection at the British Library.


Oracle bones were animal bones, usually ox shoulder bones or the underside of turtle shells, used for divination rituals in ancient China. Dating to the Shang dynasty (c. 1600 – 1050 BC), they bear the earliest extant form of Chinese writing and are the oldest items held in the British Library.


The inscription on the reverse of this particular bone records a lunar eclipse, which can be precisely dated to the night of 27 December 1192 BC.

This model was created for a British Library project on oracle bones that formed part of the UK-China Cultural Exchange 2015, supported by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.


For more information see:

* http://www.bl.uk/collection-items/chinese-oracle-bone#sthash.8cDMmsmE.dpuf

* http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/asian-and-african/


Photography: Neil McCowlen

Modelling: [Adi Keinan-Schoonbaert](https://sketchfab.com/adiks)

Oracle Bone, Or 7694/1595

Introducing "Princess Nun Royal Queen," a unique blend of regal elegance and spiritual grace. This 3D model captures the essence of a royal figure adorned in traditional attire with a serene, spiritual presence. Ideal for use in historical, fantasy, or religious-themed projects, this model is meticulously crafted to showcase intricate details in both costume and character design. Whether you're creating a game, animation, or virtual scene, "Princess Nun Royal Queen" adds a touch of nobility and mystique to your work.

Princess Nun Royal Queen

This bowl with an X-shaped handle can be dated to c. 50 BC-200 AD, i.e., [Late Pre-Roman Iron Age or Early Roman Iron Age](https://bit.ly/3vucSEX). It was found in [Gårdby parish](https://bit.ly/3hrP1gS) on the island of Öland. It belongs to a type of fine ware with carefully polished surface and a delicately incised décor. The black surface is a result of firing in a reducing atmosphere, in other words, the oxygen supply has been restricted during the firing. It is made in a style typical for Southern Scandinavia, Northern Germany and Poland. The bowl has probably been used as a drinking vessel at feasts, dinners and during rituals.

Online Collections: [580574_HST](https://bit.ly/3stKKjB)

Late Pre-Roman Bowl

Photogrammetry 3D model of a Chinese Bronze "Ding"
It is a model of a small copy that I found on a tourist market in Bejing

Ding were prehistoric and ancient Chinese cauldrons, standing upon legs with a lid and two facing handles. They are one of the most important shapes used in Chinese ritual bronzes. They were made in two shapes: round vessels with three legs and rectangular ones with four, the latter often called fanding. They were used for cooking, storage, and ritual offerings to the gods or to ancestors.

Re-uploaded with 1M faces

Chinese Bronze Ding Vessel

Jötunn inspired by the creature in the movie "The ritual". Horror creature sclupted in Zbrush, textured in Substance painter 3D and rigged and animated in Blender.

Jötunn creature inspired by "The ritual"

In the original Hebrew meaning, the angel was simply "the messenger". In late Jewishness - and through it through Christianity - this concept was transformed into the concept of a being of the spiritual order that serves as a mediator between God and man. Faith in angels is common in many other religions and cultures. In Buddhism, the angels are called the devils and are described as shining heavenly beings, and in Hindu writings one can find the depiction of vivas - heavenly beings with wings whose task is to bring the mental powers of man into the states of light, joy and carelessness. In Islam there is faith in the angels who stand side by side and lead him an important part of the doctrine. Isle consists of the message that sent the angels to Muhammad.

author: Zuzana Olšiaková

Photogrammetry from 202 Canon D70 24 megapixel photos through RC. And somme retopo + backing textures with 3dsmax, Knald, Marmoset toolbag, de-lighting with Unity3d…

Angel

Bodhisattva, Shanxi Province, Jin Dynasty, c. 1200, Cassia wood, traces of polychromy, rock crystal. Musée du Cinquantenaire (Brussels, Belgium). Made with ReMake and ReCap from AutoDesk.

A bodhisattva is a "promised enlightenment," but delays its entrance into nirvana to help all living beings to attain illumination. The crystalline pupils are made of rock crystal. Such care is justified by the fact that the consecration of a Buddhist statue consisted in opening his eyes ritually. This ceremony gave him a soul and made it an object of worship. The tiara in her hair, the necklace on her chest, the drapery retained at the waist by an elaborate belt are the image of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. The bodhisattva originally stood in a temple next to a larger Buddha. The present presentation at the museum aims to restore the oblique angle of vision under which it appeared to the visitor in the Chinese sanctuary.

For more updates, please follow @GeoffreyMarchal on Twitter.

Bodhisattva

Smithsonian source data can be found [here](https://ids.si.edu/ids/media_view?id=3d_package:d8c63598-4ebc-11ea-b77f-2e728ce88125)

This media file is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information and to review the 3D disclaimer, visit the Smithsonian’s [Terms of Use](https://www.si.edu/Termsofuse) page.

Lidded ritual ewer (huo) in the form of an elephant with masks and dragons

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: H x W x D (overall): 17.2 x 10.7 x 21.4 cm (6 3/4 x 4 3/16 x 8 7/16 in)

Type: Metalwork Vessel

Origin: Middle Yangzi Valley, China

Date: ca. first half 11th century BCE

Credit Line: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Accession Number: F1936.6a-b

Data Source: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery

EDAN-URL: edanmdm:fsg_F1936.6a-b

Lidded ritual ewer (huo)

Smithsonian source data can be found [here](https://ids.si.edu/ids/media_view?id=3d_package:d8c646aa-4ebc-11ea-b77f-2e728ce88125)

This media file is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information and to review the 3D disclaimer, visit the Smithsonian’s [Terms of Use](https://www.si.edu/Termsofuse) page.

Lidded ritual ewer (guang) with taotie, dragons, birds, tigers, elephants, fish, snakes, and humans

Medium: Bronze

Dimensions: H x W x D: 31.4 x 31.5 x 14.4 cm (12 3/8 x 12 3/8 x 5 11/16 in)

Type: Metalwork, Vessel

Origin: Middle Yangzi Valley, China

Date: ca. 1100-1050 BCE

Credit Line: Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer

Accession Number: F1961.33a-b 

EDAN-URL: edanmdm:fsg_F1961.33a-b

Lidded ritual ewer (guang)

In Japan, a tsukubai (蹲) is a washbasin provided at the entrance to a holy place for visitors to purify themselves by the ritual washing of hands and rinsing of the mouth.

More information on ArtStation. https://www.artstation.com/artwork/48LQnl

SOFTWARE — Blender, Substance Painter, RizomUV

Tsukubai (Japanese stone water basin)

A wooden stave vessel oval in shape which served as a bathtub for bathing little babies.
Only babies were bathed in this kind of bathtub, known locally as a kompacka. Great importance and ritualistic significance were attached to the first bath immediately after childbirth. The midwife responsible for this bath was called a babica. The activities performed at that time were thought to have a positive impact on the child’s future. Wanting the child to stay healthy and pretty, milk was poured into the water or a pinch of salt was added. After bathing, the water was poured into a place scarcely visited, over the side of kompacka where the baby kept its feet. It was commonly believed that if somebody did not follow such stipulations it might have had a bad effect on the child’s health.

ID no.: E/2212/MT

Time and place of creation: before 1939, Podhale, Poland

Museum: The Dr. Tytus Chałubiński Tatra Museum in Zakopane



Digitalisation: RDW MIC, Virtual Małopolska project

Baby bathtub – “kompacka”

**Small Triptych – Deesis **

Small folding altars made in modern and contemporary Russian studios were considered ideal for travelling. They are part of the old tradition of making metal castings, especially cultivated in modern Russia in the circle of the Old Believers (Old Ritualists). This type of metalwork is often treated as a kind of manifestation of the Old Believers’ dissimilarity in connection with the decrees of Tsar Peter I of 1722 and 1723. 

Usually, such triptychs showed the Deesis (traditional representation of Christ in Majesty), reproducing old iconographic patterns. 

**For more images and further information, visit:** 
https://muzea.malopolska.pl/en/objects-list/1895

Inventory number: MNK XVIII-246

Location of the physical object: National Museum in Kraków, Poland

**Digitalisation: Regional Digitalisation Lab, Małopolska Institute of Culture in Kraków, Poland; “Virtual Museums of Małopolska” Project**

Small Triptych – Deesis

In this project, I wanted to see what I could do with a somewhat larger polycount, and texture resolution. This creature is based off the animal called a tapir. I wanted it to be gilded  in different types of ritual objects to make it look more sacred and regal, in contrast with the beasts abominable form.

Exalted Beast

**For more images and further information, visit:**
https://muzea.malopolska.pl/pl/lista-obiektow/4527

Inventory number: OCM-2024-Rz-4

Time and place: 15th century

Museum of Cistercian Spirituality and Culture with the Library in the Cistercian Abbey in Mogiła

**Digitisation: Regional Digitisation Lab, Małopolska Institute of Culture in Kraków, Poland**

Project Visualization (3D model + textures): Wojciech Szczekan

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