Vatican

As part of our Rome in six hours trip, we toured the Vatican Museum. The Sistene chapel was splendid, but packed with us tourists and generally spoiled as a result. 

I would like to see the place on my own, but I guess you have to be the Pope to have that privilege.


Anyway, elsewhere I came across this enormous item. What is it? An Inquisition Thumbscrew?




Next to it was an even more scary implement. 


The mind boggles as to the original use of this item.  Maybe it part of the specialised Recanting Astronomer Kit?






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