Knick knacks Vol.2

Hello #monomad friends, here is another great day for some black and whites. I did a knick knacks post once and this can be the second part. Knick knacks are actually various miscellaneous things. I found them interesting and if the light is right they can be perfect photo models. Ok let's start with this gallery.

The first one is quite obvious - the piano. Black and white keys are screaming for photos and if there are some nice textures of the wood and wear signs that is a hit. However, the history of the piano can be traced back to the early 18th century in Italy, where Bartolomeo Cristofori invented the instrument as we know it today. However, the piano's development was a gradual process, influenced by earlier keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord and clavichord.

The harpsichord, which was the most popular keyboard instrument in the 16th and 17th centuries, produced sound by plucking strings with quills. It had limited dynamics and no means of controlling the volume or tone of individual notes. The clavichord, on the other hand, produced sound by striking strings with metal tangents, allowing for more expression and nuance in the music.

Cristofori, a harpsichord maker, experimented with new ways of producing sound and developed the piano's unique mechanism of striking strings with hammers. He also added a mechanism called the escapement, which allows the hammer to bounce back from the string after striking it, allowing for repeat notes and faster playing.

The oldest piano still functional was made by Cristofori in 1720 and is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Who can tell suitcases can be much more than only suitcases? This is actually a drawer made of leather and it looks like a suitcase. Quite creative!

Here we have various stuff and my attention got to the Florence flask which was obviously used in the laboratory before it became a vase. A Florence flask, also known as a boiling flask or round-bottom flask, is a type of laboratory glassware commonly used for heating liquids and mixing chemical reactions. It is named after the city of Florence, Italy, where it was first made in the 19th century. The flask is made of borosilicate glass, which is resistant to high temperatures and chemical corrosion. It has a round bottom and a long neck with a tapered opening, which allows for easy pouring and prevents spills. From chemistry to ornamental.

This is an old Peseuse ensacheuse Autopaq. is a type of packaging machine used to weigh and pack products, such as food, pharmaceuticals, and industrial products, into bags or sachets. It is a fully automated machine that can handle high volumes of products and is commonly used in the manufacturing and packaging industries. The Peseuse ensacheuse Autopaq consists of a weighing unit, which accurately measures the weight of the product, and a bagging unit, which automatically forms and fills bags or sachets with the measured product. This one in the photo was used for packaging coffee beans and it is fro around 1930s.

Last, but not least is the Venetian gondola. Gondolas are made of wood and are approximately 11 meters long and 1.4 meters wide. They are propelled by a single oar, which is controlled by a gondolier who stands at the stern of the boat. The boat's design is symmetrical, which allows for easy maneuvering through the narrow canals of Venice.

Gondolas were originally used as a practical means of transportation in Venice, but today they are primarily used for tourism and leisure. Visitors to Venice can hire a gondola and take a romantic ride through the city's canals, admiring the historic architecture and beautiful scenery. The Venetian gondola has a long and fascinating history that dates back to the early days of Venice as a city-state in the 11th century. However, the price of a gondola can go really high and starts at around 40.000 EUR per piece. After all, it is all handmade, and the materials used are of high quality.