In a relaxed pose, the youthful, beardless god Herakles leans against his club, the skin of the Nemean lion draped over his head and knotted across his chest. Though the  More »

In a relaxed pose, the youthful, beardless god Herakles leans against his club, the skin of the Nemean lion draped over his head and knotted across his chest. Though the scale of the sculpture is small, we feel the strength of this legendary hero as if it were ready to be released upon the world at any moment. In the fantastic world of Classical mythology, Herakles (or Hercules by his Latin moniker) was the greatest and most revered hero in all of Greece. The scion of Zeus, the supreme deity, and Almene, a mortal woman, Herakles struggled to find his place between the disparate worlds of god and man. From the seed of his divine father, Herakles acquired awesome strength and vigor. He lust for adventure and experience, and yet was bound by the most innate, human emotions. With brawn and club, Herakles conquered man, beast and monster; he suffered victory and defeat, euphoria and madness only to perish at the hands of a woman scorned in love. Yet in death, Greece’s greatest hero found redemption and apotheosis; he was a god made anew, raised to the peaks of Mt. Olympus, fulfilling his birthright in the august halls of Zeus.   « Less

Byzantine Bronze Bread Stamp - OF.044 Origin: Mediterranean Dimensions: 1.65" (4.2cm) high x 3.3" (8.4cm) wide Collection: Byzantine Art Style: Byzantine Medium: Bronze

Byzantine Bronze Bread Stamp - OF.044 Origin: Mediterranean Dimensions: 1.65" (4.2cm) high x 3.3" (8.4cm) wide Collection: Byzantine Art Style: Byzantine Medium: Bronze   « Less

One must love the human body passionately to lavish so much care upon sculpting this beautiful bronze kouros. Classical sculptures called kouroi, singular kouros, are godlike  More »

One must love the human body passionately to lavish so much care upon sculpting this beautiful bronze kouros. Classical sculptures called kouroi, singular kouros, are godlike bodies of warriors and athletes that represent the ideal models of heroic calm and controlled energy which is exquisitely portrayed in this graceful athlete. The Greeks were not shy about nudity; they regularly watched and enjoyed the spectacle of athletes exercising in the hot Mediterranean sun. They had a keen appreciation of male bodies not only as evidence of their military potential, but also for erotic pleasure. This Greek kouros displays the very subtle combination of movement and stability that the great classical sculptors understood and depicted in their harmonious rendering of the human figure from within, not just a matter of reproducing the shape of muscles and bones, but of a higher understanding of the human anatomy as a whole. This running athlete probably made on Samos displays movement in a manner not seen in monumental sculpture until the 460’s B.C. when such works as Myron’s Discobolus were created. The anatomy of the abdomen is sensitively managed so that we can sense the tilt in the axis of the hips; that tilt translates into a curve in the spine, which is then fed into the shoulder and upper chest. The muscular arms reveal the absolute strength of the Greek male ideal and show the athlete’s freedom of action. His animated body twisted in running foreshadows the end of Archaic rigid frontality. All these subtle movements are harmoniously integrated and they reach their conclusion in the twist of the neck and a slight turn of the head. These details and his bodily proportions strengthen an attribution to Samos. It is no wonder why we tend to think like the Greeks in sculpture and architecture; their vision continuously remains as a permanent inspiration and challenge. - (FZ.328)   « Less

We cannot know for sure whether this actor played in the tragedies of Sophocles or the comedies of Aristophanes. He gazes downward with silver inlaid eyes in a somber and  More »

We cannot know for sure whether this actor played in the tragedies of Sophocles or the comedies of Aristophanes. He gazes downward with silver inlaid eyes in a somber and pensive expression, suggesting he was more likely a tragic actor. However, there is something comical about his stance. His arms rest at his hips as he extends his belly forward while leaning back. His lower half is completely exposed, a fact that can be interpreted as dually tragic and comic. His head is bare save for a single wavy lock of hair at the back called a cirrus. Actors first emerged in their own right when a solitary character was separated from the chorus, a technique credited to Greek playwright and poet Thespis. The actor then communicated individually with the audience through monologues or engaged in dialogues with the leader of the chorus. Today, this figure appears before us and grabs our attention as if he was still in front of the audience in an ancient amphitheatre. - (FZ.355)   « Less

Pegasus, famed winged horse of Greek mythology, sprang forth from Medusa's neck when she was killed by the hero Perseus. Shortly after its birth, the magic steed struck the  More »

Pegasus, famed winged horse of Greek mythology, sprang forth from Medusa's neck when she was killed by the hero Perseus. Shortly after its birth, the magic steed struck the ground on Mount Helicon, and on the spot a spring, later sacred to the Muses and believed to be a source for poetic inspiration, began to flow. All longed in vain to catch and tame the creature, and this became the obsession of Bellerophon, prince of Corinth, who captured the horse with the aid of Athena. Pegasus thereafter proved to be a great help, aiding the hero in his adventures against the Amazons. However, Bellerophon was overcome by his own pride. When he attempted to fly to the top of Olympus to join the gods, the wise horse threw him, leaving Bellerophon to wander disconsolately about, hated by the gods. Pegasus found shelter in the Olympian stalls and was entrusted by Zeus with bringing him his lightning and thunderbolts.   « Less

Swift footed, Mercury (known to the Greeks as Hermes) was the divine herald of the gods as well as the patron deity of travelers and merchants. Here, he is situated in a  More »

Swift footed, Mercury (known to the Greeks as Hermes) was the divine herald of the gods as well as the patron deity of travelers and merchants. Here, he is situated in a dynamic pose, full of movement and vitality, which suggest he might have been riding a horse. The identity of this deity of readily identifiable by tow of his most notable attributes: the petasus and the talarius. The petasus is a wide brimmed hat characteristic of travelers; here, it is winged, indicating Mercury’s swiftness and symbolizing his wisdom. The talarius is the pair of sandals, again winged, and again symbolizing the god’s swiftness. Although his arms are now missing, it is likely that he once held a caduceus, or herald’s staff, that was his third major attribute. Originally, his eyes would have been inlaid with silver highlights, the remnants of which still remain intact on one of his sockets. This sculpture is the work of a master artist. The attention to detail, especially in regards to his hair, the energy of the composition, and the natural flowing folds of the drapery all reveal the mastery of the skilled sculptor. No doubt this gorgeous work of art was revered in its own time. Libations of rich wines and perfumed oils might have been placed nearby to honor the invoked deity. However, while the great pantheon of Greek and Roman gods and goddesses has faded into the realm of myth, this sculpture still stands as a stunning work of timeless beauty. Who knows, maybe this work will conjure up the spirit of Mercury, who might bless us with successful business dealings and safe travel? - (FZ.406)   « Less

This gorgeous bronze sculpture depicts a nude male standing in a classic contraposto stance with his weight resting upon his right leg while his left leg is slightly bent at  More »

This gorgeous bronze sculpture depicts a nude male standing in a classic contraposto stance with his weight resting upon his right leg while his left leg is slightly bent at the knee. His long, wavy hair has been tied back in a central bun and a laurel wreath, the mark of a champion, crowns his head. He wears a pair of calceui sandals that rise above his ankle. The front of the sandals features crossed straps that ensured a tight fit. The back of the shoes have been embellished with a series of small incised dot that presumably indicate some sort of protective covering such as leather, although his toes remain open. In his hands, he holds two objects. In his right, he carries a round object that could either be interpreted as a discus or a patera, a small dish used to offer libations to the gods. In his left hand, he holds a mysterious object that could be anything from a money sack filled with coins to a bundle of flowers or some sort of organic matter. The discus features a small lip and has been decorated with an engraved floral motif. Most likely, this bronze sculpture represents a victorious athlete who has just completed a decathlon. During the Classical era, athletes competed in the nude and his footwear suggests a somewhat more active lifestyle than other more common calceus sandals. He holds the discus in order to reinforce his identity as an athlete, or perhaps to indicate that he specifically excelled in the discus throwing competition. Bronze discuses survive in museums today that were of such refined modeling and exquisite decoration that scholars hypothesize that they were not used in competition but were given as prizes to victorious athletes. The floral motif on the discus this athlete holds may be such a prize, in which case the object in his other hand may be a money sack containing a financial reward as well. We know from the laurel wreath that crowns his head that this young man was a champion of some kind. His other attributes lead us to believe that he was a discus champion. The famed sculpture of the discobolus by the 5th Century B.C. Greek sculptor Myron depicts a discus thrower as he spins around, a the moment he is just about to let the discus soar through the air. Here, we are in the presence of a similar athlete after he has released the discus and won a prize for his victorious effort. - (X.0200)   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 6.75" (17.1cm) wide Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze Condition: Fine

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 6.75" (17.1cm) wide Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze Condition: Fine   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 400 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 5.1" (13.0cm) high x 7.5" (19.1cm) wide Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 400 BC to 300 BC Dimensions: 5.1" (13.0cm) high x 7.5" (19.1cm) wide Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 3.85" (9.8cm) high Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 3.85" (9.8cm) high Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze   « Less