Comments on: Vintage scenes from the life of Satan

Vintage scenes from the life of Satan

mediareport — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:31:21 -0800

Diableries: bizarre tabletop dioramas of scenes from the life of Satan, made around 1870. [via the nonist]

More, more.

By: Alvy Ampersand

Alvy Ampersand — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:39:24 -0800

More! More!

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:44:36 -0800

Satan Malade, indeed: he's been into the ricin again!

By: baphomet

baphomet — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 06:44:38 -0800

Oh man, I totally want one!

By: DU

DU — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:09:39 -0800

These are stereopticon images, not dioramas.

By: Mcable

Mcable — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:11:57 -0800

Cool. A big cookie for mediareport.

By: Pope Guilty

Pope Guilty — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:18:03 -0800

This fascination with Satan is another sign of our degenerate modern socie- Oh, wait.

By: yhbc

yhbc — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:18:11 -0800

They actually appear to be stereopticon images of dioramas, which no longer exist. Nevertheless, way cool!

By: mediareport

mediareport — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:21:48 -0800

DU, some (and only some, if you look carefully) become stereopticon images, but they begin life as tabletop dioramas. From the 3rd link: When viewing the diableries, different styles are recognised! A lot are entirely real 3-D diorama settings. (left) Others are only a plaster relief moulding. (right) Further, several diableries are a combination of a painted or 2-D background with three-dimensional elements in the foreground. The first "more" link suggests they predated photography as dioramas as well, and then were photographed as the technology became widely available. *munches cookie*

By: patricio

patricio — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:28:14 -0800

Brilliant, thanks. I particularly like "La Bibliothèque Infernal" with the grinning skulls on the shelves...

By: TechnoLustLuddite

TechnoLustLuddite — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:44:45 -0800

awesome! I did that "magic eye" thing to see them in stereo... i just wish someone's 3 year old hadn't dribbled watercolors over some of them....

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:45:59 -0800

I think I would sleep with someone in exchange for this book.

By: Henry C. Mabuse

Henry C. Mabuse — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:48:56 -0800

Oh man, wow.

By: OmieWise

OmieWise — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:50:04 -0800

Wow. Made by Satan's Fingers, no doubt. Hail Satan!

By: TechnoLustLuddite

TechnoLustLuddite — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 07:57:32 -0800

I want Ray Harryhausen and Tim Burton to collaborate on turning these into a film.

By: oddman

oddman — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:07:01 -0800

Oooooo, that would be a great movie.

By: damn dirty ape

damn dirty ape — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:17:32 -0800

On the weekends I make detailed dioramas of Anton Levay and Sammy Davis Jr making out. Related. Kinda.

By: mygothlaundry

mygothlaundry — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:34:44 -0800

These are amazing. And if you're telling the truth, damn dirty ape, than I think I want to have your evil baby.

By: everichon

everichon — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:43:02 -0800

Ah, so that's what the brothers Quay had in their ViewMasters as tots.

By: everichon

everichon — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:44:17 -0800

Wonderful post, thanks mediareport. Devil breaks both your hands, takes your stuff and runs away...

By: ottereroticist

ottereroticist — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:47:40 -0800

How come we don't hear more about the Life of Satan? I think this is a very rich topic.

By: weapons-grade pandemonium

weapons-grade pandemonium — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:51:13 -0800

I'll be damned. These are the same activities we humans engage in up here, but without the blood, screaming, and shit. You don't suppose we have it backwards? Skull font, via Boing Boing.

By: fatcatslimslim

fatcatslimslim — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 08:52:26 -0800

Best diarama EVER!

By: misha

misha — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:21:07 -0800

Diabolical.

By: nickyskye

nickyskye — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:28:07 -0800

Wow, so interesting! Cool post and great find mediareport. From your excellent laughingbone link: "It is now generally believed that these views were produced as social satire on the regime of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte who, as Napoleon III, was Emperor of France from 1852 to 1870. More overt lampooning of him and his government was liable to lead to a long period of imprisonment! There are a myriad of small, almost hidden, messages within these views and work is currently in progress to reveal more information. They can, so far, be attributed to Hennetier and Habert. They were created on table-tops with small clay models that were used again and again in different poses. An idea of scale can be had from a careless view where the table legs are visible, and one view which features a real stuffed blackbird." The little red lights for the eyes...oooh. It's easy to see the artist/s had such fun making this, miniature, convivial scenes of skeletons playing cards and hanging out together. By accident, it seems to me, quite a Buddhist meditation on the impermanence of life. Adding to the macabre beauty,Day of the Dead art from Mexico.

By: quite unimportant

quite unimportant — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:03:39 -0800

Someone please turn these into "wiggle pictures," if only because I'm too lazy to do it myself.

By: empath

empath — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 11:06:19 -0800

fatcatslim, that link is stunningly good. I wasn't expecting very much, but I ended it almost near tears. Worth a fpp on it's own, i'd say.