Big pyramidal hat, slim fit parachute pants (there must be a better term for these?), flowy cape, and bitchin’ wedge sandals: it’s not every day you see a chubby little 5 year old in such a get up! This bronze is a strange one and not so large (63 cm tall) and not to be
This is one of my favorite heads, although it is not terribly well known. She hails from Aphrodisias, a Roman city some 200 km from Izmir and a (somewhat unlikely) treasure trove of sculpture – wonderfully baroque in flavour and spanning over 400 years of local innovation. With glimmers of original polish and polychromy surviving
With enormous Odyssean statue groups the grotto at Sperlonga is a treasure trove of splashy (pun intended) imperial sculpture commissioned by those with a penchant for Hellenistic flair. This beauty can get lost in the shuffle: she is Andromeda, the Aethiopian princess chained to a rocky promontory as a human sacrifice by her parents to
Resplendent in gilded silver, Zeus at his regal best here. The appliqué is from a tomb in Pydna (Northern Greece, ancient Macedonia) and is thought to have once adorned a very fancy late 4th century B.C. larnax, a type of small coffin for cremation burials. Zeus exhibits a sort of regal languor. His thick cloak
There were a lot of colorful characters in the heady days of the Roman Republic, when military might was beginning to be vigorously flexed during excursions into the fading Hellenistic domains to the East. Titus Quinctius Flamininus was somewhat of a wunderkind – a precociously talented military strategist and diplomat of sorts who set his
I’m frequently guilty of leaving off the dimensions of artworks posted here, and in this infernal grid it can be tricky to get a sense of scale. And I would argue never more tricky than for little treasures like this one in Basel. Head turned sharply, with tousled hair about her head, breathless parted lips,
File away the interior of this famous silver cup under ‘cool things to find at the bottom of your wineglass’…because while it is a masterpiece of late Hellenistic silver work, 1st century aegyptomania and perhaps even dynastic propaganda, at its core (if you allow me to be even more banal than usual) it is very
Faience is a lovely thing – a type of non-clay ceramic composed mostly of silica, it could be fired with this appealing turquoise glaze and was a specialty of Egyptian artisans used widely for thousands of years there. This vase is Greek in shape (it’s an oinochoe, the spout of which is missing) and of
Pulled some 120 years ago from the treacherous maritime straits near the island of Antikythera, this shaggy fellow is one of the finest Hellenistic bronzes to survive. With that engulfing moustache and beard, tousled coiffure, and penetrating gaze (hard to resist a good pair of inlaid eyes), it’s an extraordinarily powerful sculpture. Generally accepted as
This fleshy fellow is Ptolemy III Euergetes (pharaoh of Egypt from 246-222) and the portrait on this massive coin (an octadrachm) sees him positively bristling with royal and divine attributes. The radiate crown evokes Helios, and the scaly aegis recalls Zeus, Athena and the divinized Alexander. The trident slung over his shoulder is a clear
This is quite a face, colossal in scale (clocking in at 64 cm) and unusual in many aspects. Based on comparison with coin portraits, it likely depicts Ptolemy IX (reigning late 2nd – 1st century B.C.). For these later Ptolemies, the weird bulging eyed hypothyroidic-‘second sight’ look and fleshiness has given way to heavy-browed brooding
Packed within a coughdrop sized carnelian oval is all of the heartbreak of Troy’s last day. Things have officially gone bad here for Cassandra, Priam’s daughter and priestess of Apollo, gifted with second sight but doomed to have her prophecies dismissed and ignored: a Trojan princess abused by marauding Greek warriors, taken as concubine by
For all the rich hues glass could take in Antiquity, sometimes the colorless, translucent variety is the most impressive. This astonishing amphora from the 2nd century B.C. Is perhaps the most impressive of all. It’s a whopper at well over half a meter tall, and its size and lack of color were innovative flexes making
Well it’s a day of feasting and overindulging in the US, as my compatriots celebrate ‘Thanksgiving’. Which brings to mind a different sort of party atmosphere during the ‘lagynophoria’ of Alexandria, and a closer look at one of its most famous celebrants…This is the Drunken Old Woman (‘Die trunkene Alte’) now in Munich – a
Well it’s the season of ‘la battue’ in the forests behind my house in Eastern France, with weekends full of hopeful orange roly-poly men harassing the local dwindling population of puny wild boar. And impinging upon my meditative walks. Not a fan. But I am intrigued by this late 4th century B.C. sarcophagus from the
Dozens of these terracotta figurines were found in 1898 during excavations of the sanctuary of Demeter in Priene, leading to consternation on the part of German archaeologists there and some fun theories as to their cultic function…. Worshipful belly dancing, anyone? This one was found in Samos (not so far away) because although fragmentary I
Although much of the face is long gone, there’s something fixating (and strikingly symmetrical) about this most troubled brow…appropriate for the Hellenistic age, when any dynast worth his salt had a serious target on his back and a lot in his mind. He’s a big boy – well larger than life-sized at over 20 centimeters
I’ve long admired this statue – a feat of large scale lost-wax casting giving a sense of the scale possible (infinite!), but also the surface subtleties achievable. Now headless, this standing gentleman has the distinct comportment and garments of an orator or magistrate – a statue mode used in the post-Classical period for honorifics set
During the century after the death of Alexander the Great, the Seleucid dynasty dominated most of Near East from Asia Minor to Pakistan. Their royal courts also became booming artistic centers, and adept at transforming the vast wealth suddenly available to them into exceptionally fine tableware. These three cups (I’ve shown the profile of one
Two of my favorite mythological rogues come together in this biggish terracotta statuette (or at 40 centimeters, is it rather a smallish statue?) in Boston. Herakles has passed out drunk somewhere (again), and the precocious prankster Eros has taken the opportunity to play dress-up with the hero’s signature lion-skin. With one hand resting on his
Straight pins (this is an especially sumptuous Hellenistic example) were functional (primarily for securing swathes of cloth: think the feminine peplos) and frequently very beautiful. But when ogling them a few Greek vignettes highlighting their dangerous stabbing potential inevitably creep into my mind… Herodotus recounts a typical spat between city-states during which the Athenians launched
I’d wager you haven’t seen this wild-man in nature…it’s the disembodied half-life-sized (14.5 cm) head of a centaur, identifiable by his profusion of curls and two rows of visible teeth, here inlaid in silver (exposed teeth were markers of heroes, hybrid beasts, and the odd god – centaurs in particular had a penchant for biting).
Unusual in many respects, this bronze bust represents Ptolemy of Mauretania, last of his name and the very last Hellenistic ruler who could track his lineage back to Alexander the Great’s general. This lineage was through his maternal grandmother, Kleopatra VII of Egypt. It is tempting to read the boy’s concerned, rather pinched expression as
The tortured love affair between Eros and Psyche was explored with gusto in the Hellenistic world and into the Roman. Particularly popular were vignettes where Psyche was shown as a butterfly, helpless in the hands of Aphrodite’s precocious, capricious (sociopathic?) sidekick who is occasionally shown holding over a flame by the wings… This composition has
With that troubled brow, sharp cat-like cheekbones, and slightly downturned eyes, this soulful portrait is most beguiling and attractive. It was excavated in 1861 near the Temple of Apollo in Cyrene (modern Libya), but most essential facts about his identity and dating continue to elude scholars. The casting, coldwork (check out those wispy chin hairs)
Clocking in at 169 grams this coin is a whopper – one of the largest (if not the largest) denomination minted in antiquity. It was discovered in Bukhara (Uzbekistan), acquired by Napoleon III, and is one of a kind. The shrewd looking grump wearing the exciting helmet on the obverse is Eukratides I, a shadowy
It’s not shiny, but this is a rare survival of an impression in plaster, an echo of an important lost historical document. Measuring 15 cm at the max. diameter, it retains the surface of an imperial Ptolemaic portrait relief likely wrought in precious metal in the late 4th century B.C. Plaster doesn’t survive in great
Spring is starting to make itself felt in the Northern hemisphere, which has me thinking about two real masterpieces of late Classical gold-working, whimsy, and observed nature. These are two wreaths (metal ones that served as honorifics, fancy dress for feasting, and the funeral…that eternal festival) that were excavated within ‘Tomb II’ at Vergina. Now
You might not have seen these before and if so might be at a loss about what exactly you’re looking at….I am to some extent, and would be out to sea without some good old archaeological context. Twenty-six life-sized smashed clay heads were found in an early 5th century B.C. tomb within the monumental necropolis
This is my favourite relief from the great monument built for the satrap Mausolos by his Greek-steeped, grief-stricken sister-wife Artemisia on his death at Halikarnassos (Bodrum for you modern hedonists). The monument was gigantic and a sensation, making most ancient ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ list, roughly rectangular in shape, with an imposing podium with
This painted portrait is somewhat difficult to place in time and space, is it not? There are hints of the glorious Macedonian wall paintings as well as the knowing glances of Roman mummy portraits from the Fayoum. It is a marble stele from Thebes, the Greek city that found itself continuously trounced by skirmishing armies
Painting (as it were) with minute stone tesserae, this mosaicist really nailed the look of a somewhat guilty dog: a slightly inquisitive hunch, all perked ears and muzzle aquiver, with that plaintive, ascertaining gaze…. This most excellent mosaic was found in a private home in Alexandria – one of the pivotal cultural centers in the
Wonder about your neck? Well women of the early Ptolemaic dynasty evidently did and those distinctive fleshy folds ringing the neck were characteristic of their portraits – anatomical flair that does not necessarily translate into modern sensibilities. These ‘Venus-rings’ were a symbol of feminine beauty (and likely prosperity), and were all the rage in the
A penchant for voyeurism flourished in the artistic climate of the Hellenistic period, and not surprisingly Aphrodite was front and center. (In mythological terms, the idea had been around for far longer: think Akteon and Artemis, Peleus and Thetis, Gyges and Nyssia, satyrs and maenads, etc.) The real innovation in the 4th century B.C. was
Fancy encountering this fearsome beauty at the bottom of your wine cup? Skylla’s lovely nude torso projects from this small disk as she prepares to over-head-hurl a boulder at an unsuspecting sailor while a decidedly complicated lower body roils in the waves beneath her. Fishtails flail and dog-heads snap, these last giving the monstrous sea-hybrid
With that designer scruff of a beard and magnificent hat, there’s a lot to love about this portrait, but there is much more at play here than a manly fashion statement… Because that’s no ordinary hat: it is a kausia (the special northern cousin of the petasos, the Greek traveler’s hat) nestled on his head
I’ve been thinking about tritons lately, those marine hybrid creatures that so delightfully combine manly torsos with elaborate fishy tails. The essential flexibility of these imaginary bodies is their best selling point and their popularity flourished in the late Hellenistic period – bounded not by corporeal limits, only artistic flair. Their dramatic inclusion in sculptural
’Tis the time for feasting (and hunkering) in much of the Northern hemisphere. As it was for Herakles in his later career, when he had more time to carouse. And this stage of the hero’s life – athletic action man gone to seed – was explored artistically with great relish beginning in the later 4th
After weeks of relentless gray rain, it seemed appropriate to start off this Monday with a stunner of a vessel as radiant and round as the sun. This is the exterior of an omphalos phiale (omphalos being Greek for belly-button / navel), named for that central circular indentation poking up into the vase’s interior. The
Magnificent in every way, this centaur is full of exquisite mid-Hellenistic craftsmanship. When Alexander’s successors came westward to roost, they brought back precious metals and some most peculiar Persian aristocratic modes of drinking. Just look at this fellow, full of pathos and glower (face shown better in the second photo). His festive gilded wreath places
This is a most excellent bronze, and so far thus attracted far less attention that it deserves! The subject is clear – Herakles resting after the labours that ran him ragged over most of the known world and beyond. In my view this is one of the very finest representations of the hero at rest
Hailing from Tiberius’ famous grotto in Sperlonga (south of Rome) this is Diomedes (that gorgeous hand!) absconding with the palladion of Troy (its protectress and cult statue of Athena carved from wood) as that city was pillaged. There is a lot to be said about Sperlonga and the Trojan palladion. But not here! What I
I begin to sing of Demeter, the holy goddess with the beautiful hair […] she of the golden double-axe, she who glories in the harvest.’ So begins Hesiod in his Hymn to Demeter, and I cannot seem to put it out of my mind when faced with this spectacle: a life-sized (30 cm tall, in
‘Sandwich glass’ always strikes me as a slightly hilarious way to describe the most luxurious and refined type of ancient glass. But it’s actually a great description of a hugely sophisticated technique that was perfected in the Hellenistic period. Shallow and cups, seem to have especially sought after but only available to the fabulously wealthy.
Bristling with hostile porcine energy, this bronze in Boston is a gem of Hellenistic realism. One can almost hear her barking… Rearing slightly back on hind legs and poised to charge, the sow is a most excellent example of bronze-casting on a small scale (not so small, she is nearly 20 cm long). Her eyes
There are a lot of ancient representations of Aphrodite to have survived, but this important terracotta one is frequently ignored these days – passed over to focus on her splashier marble sisters. Currently in Berlin, she is usually known as the ‘von Heyl Aphrodite’, acquired by the Berlin Antikensammlung in an auction of the von
Movement and three-dimensionality are words commonly bandied about when it comes to the sculptural innovations of the Hellenistic period, and with this little beauty in the Met, it’s not empty art historical jargon! Although she is small (ca. 20 cm), the ‘Baker dancer’ (as she is often referred to, after the bequest that fortuitously landed
Napoleon had a keen eye for beautiful pilfered things to bring back to his capital city, and (in my view) this is one of the best! Known as the “Borghese Krater”, it is a mammoth (nearly 2 meters tall!) vase sculpted out of Pentelic marble, and it is a marvel to behold. Rollicking around the
Semi-precious stone, gold, miniature portraiture, and the incomparable queen Arsinöe II: this head (H. 2.2 cm) in the Walters Art Museum has it all in one tiny package! The stone is amethyst, which is a fun one. Not only did it have royal connotations in Egypt for several thousand years prior to this portrait, the
Spring is in the air and the waterfowl are getting frisky, which brings to mind a spicy Greek myth that struck has struck a chord with artists for the past 2500 years: Zeus’ seduction Leda. The famously philandering Olympian god transformed himself into a variety of exciting things to court and abduct young beauties. And