Gothic-inspired coasters for the darker reader...
4 for 3: Use the Code "CoasterMultibuy2021" to get the 4th free.
How Gothic are these images! The Danse Macabre, Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and my favourite Victorian anantomical illustration of a Vampire Bat!
The Danse Macabre was an artistic allegory from the Late Middle Ages showing the universality of death: no matter one's station in life, the Dance Macabre unites all. This image is a reproduction of a woodcut, the "Nightly Dance of Death" (Nachtlicher totentanz), by Michael Wohlgemuth, first published in Schedel's Nurnberg Chronicles in 1493.
"The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" image from 'The Blue Poetry Book', edited by Andrew Lang. Coleridge's is perhaps one of the best known poems that people many have never heard or read all of... "water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink" is perhaps the most familiar line... My own first meeting with Coleridge was down to Iron Maiden's take on "The Rime..."
The poem is an allegory, and tells the tale of a man who due to his own actions is cursed by Life-in-Death to wander the oceans and lands forever, to share his tale, punished for his ignorance and arrogance of man over the wonders of nature he saw all around him. Or at least, that's my interpretation.
The image on this mug show Death and Life-in-Death playing dice for the crew, the unattributed illustration was originally by H. J. Ford or Lancelot Speed.
Finally in this trio we have my favourite Vampire bat image, which I have paired with one of my favourite Dracula quotes: "There are vampires. They are real they are of our time and they are here, close by, stalking us as we sleep..." wrote Bram Stoker. Well, whether or not you believe in the Vampires of folk-lore, this image is a real vampire: Taken from a 19th century etching by James C Fletcher...Personally I love a bats, but that might just be my dark, night-loving side coming out...
I have digitised these images, coloured and sublimated them on to a 9cm-square, 0.5mm thick, aluminium coaster. The coaster has silicon or cork feet to prevent slippage and heat transfer during use.
Please note, this is a hand-made item so colours may vary slightly from the images.
Care Instructions
Care instruction: To clean the coasters, use a soft cloth and warm soapy water. Avoid using scouring agents/clothes or solvents such as acetone or similar as these may affect the sublimated surface of the coasters. Never wash in a dishwasher.
