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National Museum, Athens. © E. Brundige 2005.
"Nikandre" of Naxos.
Illustration for my travel blog, Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveller's Journal.
The oldest known "Kore" figure, an archaic Greek form of art derived -- perhaps -- from Egyptian art. Kore means "maiden" and was a stylized image of a young woman represented in the same manner as Demeter's daughter Persephone/Kore, or, sometimes, as the maiden goddess Artemis, sister of Apollo.
The statue was commissioned by a lady named Nikandre, as we know from an inscription on the statue. It was apparently a dedication to Apollo:
"Nikandre dedicated me to the far-shooting arrow-pourer, daughter (kore) of Deinomenes the Naxian, excellent above all, sister of Deinomenes, now wife of Phraxos." -- Robin Osborne
Ancient Egyptian. Carved black terracotta statue of a winged scarab with Egyptian symbols on both sides including Anubis, a cartouche, a small winged scarab, a geese, an Eye of Horus, snakes, the sun God Ra, and birds. Ptolemaic Period. Rare and unusual piece. (11 ½" x 12").
Cup with decoration of animals-combs and Greek cross inscribed in a triangle Display in Louvre Museum, Paris.
An impressive Inca Aryballo with Chimu influence. Attractive and well defined. Each squarish quadrant has embossed stylistic birds incorporated on the upper half, all with textured contrasting background. Traditional pointed bottom, side loop handles and a simple center lug. These vessels were mold made and quality diminished with production. This vessels impressions are sharp and of higher caliber which suggest first casts for ceremonial use. To achieve this shiny black finish, firing at a high temperature in a closed kiln was used.
Condition: Choice
Inca, Peru. Ca 15th century. Measures 8"/20.32cm respectively
As with all ceramics from these time periods, they met two functions: simple daily domestic use with less finishing or ceremonial vessels that showed higher aesthetic commitment.
Galeriacontici.net
Originating from the pre-Columbian 'Early Classic Period', dated circa 300–600AD, this antique jar encapsulates (pun intended) the form of a Maya person. As can be seen from the side, it's round, plump shape illustrates the skillfully crafting – made from hihgly-polished (burnished) ceramic. For the frontal view, please see, Flickr's Maya: Effigy Jar (Front).
This Mayan jar actually comes in two parts – the top lid, ending at the waist, and the bottom. To see it when it's open, please view the Merrin Gallery's video on YouTube.
For more information and a more detailed account, view the Maya jar at Samuel's gallery.
It has been published in: Gérald Berjonneau and Jean-Louis Sonnery, Rediscovered Masterpieces – Mexico-Guatemala-Honduras, Boulogne, 1985, p. 222, no. 337.
Excellent pre-colonial Inca kero. Carved from the lambran or alder tree in geometrical patterns filled with a resinous paint in lively shades of red and yellow with spondylus inlay. Beautiful patina overall. Choice. 15th to 16th century. Just under 6" in height.
St John the evangelist, witness to the Crucifixion of Jesus and writer of the Gospel of John, St. John's Epistles and the book of Revelation/Apocalypse, with usual symbols. A scroll and an eagle with a quill pen. The writing beneath is indistinct and difficult to read.
Winged, twin-tailed Scylla on an Etruscan urn. She holds two anchors. Taken at the National Archeological Museum, Florence.
Gorgeous and impressive amphora. Faded negative resist black geometric decoration on a cream background with red-brown geometric decorative painted highlights. Scattered areas of mineral deposits on the surface. A 1/2” rim chip and a few minor surface scratches, otherwise intact and in fine condition. Nariño region, Colombian / Ecuador. 800-1250AD. Measures over 24" in height.
Terracotta vessel with a single handle, beige background with black and red image of a seated Greek God. 400 BC (5" x 2 ½")
I love the juxtaposition of rich texture beside mirror smooth surfaces, and the play of light across them.
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© 2005 E. Brundige
Mycenae Museum
Illustration for Ancient Greece Odyssey: Part V
Fragmentary fresco from the temple area of the citadel of Mycenae, destroyed around the 13th century BCE.
I'm very intrigued by this fresco. It's in a building next to what seems to be the temple or shrine for the citadel of Mycenae (the home of King Agammemnon, legendary leader of the Greeks fighting at Troy). Mylonos, the excavator, guesses it might be the home of the high priest.
The main thing I notice is that it's using the colors and many stylistic details from Minoan art (the Mycenaeans conquered the Minoans). Some of these details include the tapered columns, women depicted in white and men in red, the "horns of consecration" along the eaves of buildings (those are the U-shaped decorations), and the rightmost female figure wearing a flounced skirt like Minoan ladies -- although Mycenaean women tend to cover their breasts. Other details, like the fringed skirt or cloak of the woman facing her, are more Mycenaean, appear in other early Greek art.
Who are these people?
Is the female figure on the lower lefthand wall a worshipper or priestess? Is she holding up stylized ears of grain, or feathers -- could this be the "priestess of the winds" listed in Mycenaean inscriptions on the island of Crete? The size of the two female figures on the other wall suggests they are goddesses, and the tiny figures between them male worshippers. It appears that one goddess holds a sword point-downward, the other a staff (or spear). I wish we'd turn up some cache of writings explaining them -- "Demeter of the golden sword" shows up in a Homeric Hymn about half a millennium later, and a famous spear-wielding goddess became patron of Athens in the classical period, but that's so much later that it may be coincidence.
This is a detail from an 8th century B.C.E. sculptural relief found in Nimrud, Iraq. The panel depicts the Assyrian ruler Tiglath-Pileser III receiving homage from a visitor.
Ajrak (Sindhi: اجرڪ) is a name given to a unique form of blockprinted shawls and tiles found in Sindh, Pakistan. These shawls display special designs and patterns made using block printing by stamps. Common colours used while making these patterns may include but are not limited to blue, red, black, yellow and green. Over the years, ajraks have become a symbol of the Sindhi culture and traditions.
From wikipedia.
Greek, made in Athens, 420 - 380 B.C.
On one side of the neck of this mixing bowl (krater), the mythical Adonis reclines on a couch, with a diminutive figure of Eros perched before him holding a dish of fruits. On either side are Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and Persephone, the queen of the Underworld, with their female attendants. Aphrodite fell in love with the handsome Adonis, but he was killed during a boar hunt soon after. The goddess was so distraught that Zeus, the king of the gods, made the youth immortal, allowing him to leave Hades, the underworld of the dead, for part of the year to be with Aphrodite. He always, however, had to return to Hades, where he was Persephone's lover. This cycle of death and rebirth was linked to the regeneration of vegetation and the crop seasons in ancient Greece. Adonis was of Phoenician origin, and his cult was introduced to Athens in about 440 B.C.; its devotees were exclusively female.
The other side of the krater's neck shows a scene from a symposium, or drinking party, in which three pairs of men (one beardless and youthful, the other bearded and mature) recline on couches. Cakes and fruit stand on the tables before them, and the central youth swings his cup for the game of kottabos, in which participants cast the dregs of their wine at a target.
The bowl rests upon an elaborate stand, the missing part of which has been reconstructed. Decorating the upper surface of the base is a series of hunts featuring both real and mythological animals (deer, bull, hare, griffins). Running around the side is a scene of Dionysos and his entourage. The god of wine holds out a drinking vessel as he reclines on a couch, and Eros stands before him. Dionysos is accompanied by a group of satyrs and maenads, who dance, cavort, or in one case, attempt to catch a hare. The two figures striding arm in arm at the head of the procession have been seen as Apollo leading Sabazios, a Phrygian divinity associated with Dionysos and Zeus.
Many aspects of this vessel, notably the ribbing on the surface of the bowl and the ornate handles, are more typical of vases produced in South Italy than in Athens, perhaps indicating that it was made for export to that area. Added clay relief was used for the ivy pattern just below the mouth on side A, as well as the wreath of olive leaves that encircles the bowl, while at the junction between the body and the base of each handle is a small sculptural head of a Black African youth – a popular image in Southern Italy during the fourth century, found also on gems and jewelry. Many details are also embellished with gilding, such as the hair of the Black African youths, the bracelets, earrings, and necklaces worn by the figures in the painted scenes, and the minuscule frontal female faces at the center of each handle. For the krater’s ancient owner, all of these features would have lent a luxurious appeal, evoking the more costly creations of silversmiths and metalworkers.
The coffin of Nedjemankh is a gilded ancient Egyptian coffin from the late Ptolemaic Period. It once encased the mummy of Nedjemankh, a priest of the ram god Heryshaf.
The coffin is 181 cm long, 53 cm wide, and 28 cm deep. It combines cartonnage (linen, glue, and gesso), paint, gold, silver, resin, glass, wood, and leaded bronze. The lid is covered with vignettes illustrating funerary spells, and has an inscription invoking gold and silver; inside is a figure of Nut, the goddess of the sky, partially covered with silver foil. On the base of the coffin is a djed pillar.
Provenance
The coffin is believed to have been looted from Egypt in 2011. Before its true history was known, it was purchased by New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art in July 2017 for 3.5 million euros, or about 3.95 million dollars.
The Met museum purchased the coffin from Christophe Kunicki, a Paris-based art dealer who advertised as specialising in "Mediterranean Antiquities", particularly "Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Near East antiquities". According to the ownership history received by the Met at the time, the coffin had been exported from Egypt in 1971 with a licence granted by the "Antiquities Organization / Egyptian Museum, Cairo. "It was said to have been among the stock of Habib Tawadrus, a dealer since at least 1936, who operated Habib & Company across from Cairo's Shepheard's Hotel; a representative for Tawadrus's heirs exported the coffin to Switzerland, with a translation of the export license provided in February 1977 by the German embassy in Cairo, for the use of the representative and new European owner. Egypt allowed the export of some antiquities before the passage of the Antiquities Protection Law of 1983. The museum believed the coffin remained in that family's collection until its 2017 purchase.
Return to Egypt
In February 2019, the Metropolitan Museum was approached by the New York County District Attorney's Office, which presented the museum with evidence provided by the Egyptian government that the dealer’s 1971 export license had been forged. Further evidence showed the coffin had been stolen in 2011 and its history was a fraud. The museum then shuttered the then-ongoing exhibition Nedjemankh and His Gilded Coffin, previously scheduled to run through April 21, 2019, and handed the coffin over to the Antiquities Repatriation Department of the Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities.
NMEC National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, Fustat Cairo
Siphnian Treasury East Pediment
Archaic Period, c. 525 BCE.
Delphi Museum, Greece
Apollo and Herakles struggle over the tripod of Apollo's priestess, the Pythia. Zeus, the tallest figure, intercedes in the dispute, while Artemis tugs on her brother's arm.
© 2005 Ellen Brundige
Illustration for Ancient Greece Odyssey: A Traveller's Journal
Also see the information and photos following my Greek God Apollo Trivia Quiz and Greek Heroes Trivia Quiz.
These dog mummies were related to the cult of Wepwawet, the chief deity of the city of Asyut. The god used to be depicted as a dog or a jackal like the more famous jackal god Anubis. Like Anubis, Wepwawet was associated with the funerary sphere. These mummies of dogs discovered in the animal cemeteries in Asyut were presented to the deity as votive offerings, whose purpose included asking the god for a blessing or thanking for one. To meet the demand of votive offerings, dogs were probably bred near the temple and expressly killed to be purchased by worshippers.
Organic material, linen
Late Period - Greek Period
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
Josh Shortridge (tattoo artist) drawing up and male and female sailors, for me, in traditional style.
Originating from the Paracas culture (Wikipedia) of the Andes in South America, this is a very large and intact double-spouted vessel. It depicts three trophy-headed deities holding spears. Said to have been found at Chucho, it is very colorful, boasting a variety of colors through resin paint.
View it from all angles one the Merrin Gallery's video on YouTube.
See a side-view and detailed description of this piece at Samuel Merrin's gallery.
A twi-tailed tritoness.
From a group of statues in the Temple of Desponia at Lykosoura. Marble, 180-190 B.C.
Here is an excerpt from my Egyptian Book of the Dead project. Egyptian papyrus painting was done with ground pigments and water, in a similar fashion to Chinese brush painting. Using animal hair brushes, the watercolor was applied to papyrus sheets with single-stroke fashion. I used my knowledge of Chinese brush painting and poetry to generate a new version of the BOTD. This is also just a prototype to an even larger piece I will do.
Done in Chinese ground inks and tube watercolors on rice paper.
I was fascinated by how similar many of the brush strokes found in Egyptian painting were to Chinese painting. Here, I tried to keep the original style, but used more Chinese techniques than Egyptian techniques.
The Weighing of the Heart is a symbolic ceremony, where Anubis pits the deceased's heart (both physical and metaphoric) against his life's deeds and works. The Spell is meant as a celebration of life and an entreaty to peacefulness in the afterlife. Sometimes called the "negative confession," here Manu, the man on the left, explains how he has not caused anyone any harm in life (among other confessions). The idea behind the spell was not that it is so rigid that you get immediately swallowed by Huenefer (the monster with a pink mane), but that you are allowed to make changes to your soul--to improve yourself, grow from any mistakes, and cast them off.
Baths of the Trinacria, Ostia.
STATIO CVNNVLINGIORVM
It has been explained as an ironic comment on the offices, stationes, on the famous Piazzale delle Corporazioni (II,VII,4). Kleijwegt suggests that it was the unofficial nickname of a iuventus-type organisation. Panciera draws our attention to the placement of the inscription in front of a bench, and to the fact that it was planned as an element of the mosaic pavement. He suggests that it had a serious purpose, and that the inscription marks a place in the bath where men who offered cunnilingus as an act of prostitution could be found.
The Venerable Losang Samten continues his creation of the Medicine Buddha Mandala at Calif. State University, Chico. Just gazing upon the Mandla is said to impart healing. It surely is special, and most beautiful... Learn more about Sand Mandalas, and the work of Losang Samten at: www.losangsamten.com/
Alash ensemble is a quartet of master throat singers (xöömeizhi) from Tuva, a tiny republic in the heart of Central Asia. The ancient art of throat singing (xöömei) developed among the nomadic herdsmen of this region. Alash remains grounded in this tradition while expanding its musical vocabulary with new ideas from the West.
Name: The ensemble is named for the Alash River, which runs through the musicians' native region of Tuva. The Alash River has also inspired a couple of Tuvan songs which carry its name.
Shabti statues serve as servants to the deceased in the afterlife. Shabti statues were often shaped with hoes in hand and a basket hanging on a string on his back so that he would be ready for fieldwork at the invitation of the deceased. The spell of the book of the dead was often written on the body of the statue to bring the statue to life and work.
Faience
26th dynasty
Provenance unknown
Cat. 2620 Museo Egizio
Egypt of Glory exhibition, Amos Rex Art Museum, Helsinki
From the collection of Museo Egizio, Turin, Italy
9.10.2020-21.3.2021
Very desirable jaguar head. Large fragment of a jaguar-man figure. Typical high ash deposit clay. Modeled with finely placed applique. Though a fragment, it displays beautifully. Northern Esmeraldas region, Ecuador. 300 B.C.-300 A.D. Measures just under 6"
Elegant group of Chorrera figurines. These forms reflect mastery of proportion and expression. Each evoke harmony, realism in form. Punta Arenas region, Ecuador. 1800/300BC. Tallest piece measures over 5". Group
Bronze belt.....rattling sheet.....fibulae to pin fabric, and lastly a shield ( I think)?
Archäologisches Landesmuseum Baden-Württemberg
Stuttgart, Germany
During his life Father Aurelois Sozomenos ordered a grave-monument for himzelf, his wife, his three daughters and their nurse. Father Aurelius is portrayed twice.
Marble, 2th century, Thessaloniki.
The Dutch National Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Oudheden), Leiden
http://gandharan.blogspot.com/
Depiction of the story of the Trojan horse in the Indo - Greek Buddhist art of Gandhara. British Museum. Personal photograph by PHGCOM, 2007.
Historien om den trojanske hesten ble fortalt i oldtidens Indo-greske kunst fra Gandhara (Present Pakistan).
I can't draw a decent image on paper. Tattoo artist do it day in and day out - on skin - no second chances, no erasing. I stand in awe of their talent.
This Joshua Shortridge (Ancient Art, Hampton, Virginia) working on my arm - he has dome about 90% of my ink.
Palladium Group - Original Marble - National Archaeology Museum of Sperlonga. Palladium Group. Original Marble. By www.ontravelwriting.com