Well I’ve been nose to the grindstone working on a deadline, and not coming up for air much to post – one must wait for inspiration to strike, after all. Well, when poring through the supremely useful “Last Statues of Antiquity” database out of Oxford (Bert Smith’s brainchild…alas, I don’t own the most excellent book
I’ve been thinking a bit about two forms of Roman block buster entertainment: gladiatorial matches (munera) and chariot races (ludi circenses). Their popularity relied on suspense and the frisson of potential bodily harm – a very good time for the throngs of frenzied fans in the audience. And this is a pretty terrific object –
This is a deeply weird object in every way possible. And as mysterious as it may be, the two core lessons are: don’t antagonise Dionysos and don’t forget the power of light. In a previous post, I discussed the Trivulzio cup, a gorgeous, more straightforward cage cup with translucent and blue glass with an inscribed