Stylus Collection (#3)

Design for a Frieze of Grapevines; Virgil Solis, German, 1514 - 1562; Germany, Europe; 1537; Pen and black ink, horizontal stylus indentation lines above

A Saint on Horseback; Circle of Giovanni Battista Cima da Conegliano, Italian (Venetian), about 1459/1460 ? - 1517/1518; Italy, Europe; about 1510; Red chalk over stylus underdrawing

Cybele before the Council of the Gods; Pietro da Cortona, Italian, 1596 - 1669; Italy, Europe; 1633; Pen and brown ink with brown wash, heightened with white bodycolor, over black chalk

ST. DUNSTAN (924-988). English prelate. St. Dunstan as archbishop of Canterbury (959-988). Drawing after a manuscript illumination

BYZANTINE EMPIRE: SAINT LUKE writing on a scroll (left) and in a book: Byzantine manuscript illuminations, mid-10th century

EGYPT: BALANCE, c2000 B. C. A scribe keeps tally as the balance operator weighs
EGYPT: BALANCE, c2000 B.C. A scribe keeps tally as the balance operator weighs against stone weight - after an Egyptian tomb painting, circa 2000 B.C

Emil Berliners Gramophone. Top: Recording stylus and mouthpiece. Bottom: Playing a disc. Engraving published Paris 1888

Casellis pantelegraph: At the sending station the dispatch was written or drawn on sheet of metallized paper in thick insulating ink and placed on curved plate

Relief from mausoleum depicting tax collector, detail, man writing on tablet with stylus
Gallo-Roman civilization, 2nd century A.D. Relief from a mausoleum depicting a tax collector. Detail, man writing on a tablet with a stylus

Relief with a young man writing on a tablet from Moderndorf, Austria, Roman civilization
Roman civilization. Relief with a young man writing on a tablet. From Moderndorf, Austria

Wooden wax tablet used by scribes and case containing styluses and colors from the tomb of Kha at Deir el Medina
Egyptian civilization, New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII. Wooden wax tablet used by scribes and case containing styluses and colors. From the tomb of Kha at Deir el Medina

Writing implements, Tablet with three leaves, bronze ink pot and stylus, Nero period 1st Century A.D. The Netherlands, Nimega, Rijksmuseum G.M. Kam, Roman art

Asiatic lily (Lilium sp. )
Asiatic lily (Lilium sp.) flower

TERTULLIAN (c160-c230). Latin ecclesiastical writer. Line engraving, 1584

SCRIBE: EGYPTIAN. Two scribes, squatting at their desks piled with rolled-up records, assisted by their clerks. A relief from the tomb of Ti at Sakkara, Egypt, dating from the 27th century B.C

MONK: SCRIBE, 1488-89. Monk seated writing. Woodcut, from the Mer des Hystoires, Paris, 1488-89

SOLOMON ASKING FOR WISDOM. Solomon asking God for the gift of wisdom (2 Chronicles 1: 10)
SOLOMON ASKING FOR WISDOM. Solomon asking God for the gift of wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:10). Wood engraving, 19th century, after Gustave Dor

Magnetic pickup cartridge of a record player. The cartridge holds the stylus or needle (not seen), which transforms the grooves in a record (black, lower centre) into sound

Record stylus playing record, SEM
Record stylus playing record. Coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of the needle (stylus) of a record player in a groove on a record

False-colour SEM of stylus in groove of LP record
False-colour scanning electron micrograph of a diamond stylus travelling through the grooves of a long-playing, stereo record. The grooves are cut into a flat disc of polyvinyl chloride

Wax tablet writing, Ancient Rome
Wax tablet writing in Ancient Rome. Romans using a stylus and wax tablet to write messages or make calculations. The wax layers would be encased in a wooden support

Schoolgirls in ancient Rome
Girls with writing implements in ancient Rome. Hand-colored 19th-century woodcut of an ancient illustration

Calligrapher at the Medina (old Town), Marrakesh, Morocco, North Africa, Africa

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"Unleashing the Art of Expression: The Timeless Stylus" In the ancient world, Greek poet Sappho gracefully wielded her stylus, etching words that would transcend time. Her portrait captures the essence of a woman empowered by this simple yet powerful tool. Fast forward to Pompeii, where a SEM diamond stylus delicately traveled through LP grooves, breathing life into music and preserving melodies for generations to come. A painting on plaster reveals baker Terentius Neo and his wife in formal attire, their faces frozen in time by an artist's skilled strokes with a stylus. The LP record itself became a canvas for sound as it embraced the touch of a stylus. Ancient Greek writing also found its voice through this instrument, leaving behind stories etched into history. Another Roman-Pompeian wall painting showcases Terentius Neo and his wife once again, reminding us how artistry transcends eras. Meanwhile, a needle dances across the surface of a record under an SEM microscope - capturing every groove carved by the diamond stylus with precision. An advertisement from The Gramophone Company Limited transports us to an era when couples danced joyfully to recorded music. In the foreground lies a gramophone record alongside its faithful companion -the stylus- ready to bring melodies alive at any moment. A chair adorned with intricate carvings stands proudly beside a scriptorium or inkstand from centuries past; both testify to the enduring presence of the humble stylus in creative endeavors throughout history. And finally, we encounter "Portrait of the Artist holding a Stylus, " revealing how this tool becomes an extension of one's artistic soul. An engraving depicting "A Tablet-Holder" reminds us that even tablets were once held firmly by these slender instruments.