Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 4.92" (12.5cm) high x 4.92" (12.5cm) wide Collection: Classical Art Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 4.92" (12.5cm) high x 4.92" (12.5cm) wide Collection: Classical Art Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 5.31" (13.5cm) high x 5.31" (13.5cm) wide Collection: Classical Art Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 5.31" (13.5cm) high x 5.31" (13.5cm) wide Collection: Classical Art Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze   « Less

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 4.7" (11.9cm) high x 4.7" (11.9cm) wide Collection: Classical Art Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze

Origin: Mediterranean Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 4.7" (11.9cm) high x 4.7" (11.9cm) wide Collection: Classical Art Style: Hellenistic Medium: Bronze   « Less

It is difficult to say whether this votive represents a woman praying to a fertility goddess or the deity herself. She is rendered with the barest details--it is her eyes and  More »

It is difficult to say whether this votive represents a woman praying to a fertility goddess or the deity herself. She is rendered with the barest details--it is her eyes and hands that focus our attention--yet she conveys powerful emotions. We sense that we are in the presence of a religion that was already ancient when this statue was formed. - (FZ.060)   « Less

Origin: Thessaly Circa: 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high Medium: Marble

Origin: Thessaly Circa: 4000 BC Dimensions: 4.75" (12.1cm) high Medium: Marble   « Less

The goddess is standing with her right arm held apart from her body, her hair falling in four long tresses down below the nape of the neck. In the vast Hellenic pantheon few  More »

The goddess is standing with her right arm held apart from her body, her hair falling in four long tresses down below the nape of the neck. In the vast Hellenic pantheon few gods enjoy such an iconic status as Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty, and sexual rapture. Venerated by the Romans as Venus, Aphrodite's immortal visage epitomizes the Greek standards of classical beauty that remain the aspired aesthetic of the modern day. Aphrodite has inspired countless artists throughout the centuries; since the Renaissance, the goddess has been intrinsically linked to Botticelli’s masterpiece The Birth of Venus, where the ethereal maiden rises from the sea upon the sensuous pedestal of a gaping clam.According to Hesiod’s Theogony, Aphrodite was born from the seed of Uranus, the divine father whose genitals were cut off by his son Cronus and thrown into sea. Fermenting with the tides, a “white foam arose from the immortal flesh; with it a girl grew,” begetting Aphrodite—a full- grown woman, nubile and infinitely desirable. Fearing the jealousies that would invariably arise amongst the gods competing for her favor, Zeus cast Aphrodite to the fiery, volcanic abode of Hephaestus where she was betrothed to the deformed god of smithing. To placate his glamorous wife, Hephaestus forged marvelous jewelry that made Aphrodite even more irresistible to the hearts of men. Despite the assiduous efforts of her faithful husband, the divine seductress carried on legendary affairs with Ares, Adonis, and Anchises, the latter begetting a son, Aeneas—the Trojan hero and mythic founder of Rome. Vain, glamorous, and sadistically jealous, Aphrodite endures in Western tradition as the very avatar of beauty, elucidating the mystery of sex that was for the Greeks as perplexing as it is today.What remains of this magnificent representation from the 1st century B.C. is a marble torso measuring just over seven inches high; though deprived of head and limb, little imagination is required to envision the lost remains of this glorious statue. Though modest in proportion, this superb relic of ancient artistry survives as a memory and testament to the Hellenic mythology so imbued in the cultural traditions of the West. With her sensuous curves and soft, gentle form, the ancient sculptor has achieved a truly remarkable feat through brilliant, polished marble—that eternal stone so emblematic of the classical age. From her youthful breasts to the delicate features running down her spine, this profoundly beautiful creation captures the eroticism and mystery befitting the goddess of love—an enviable treasure every bit as relevant today as it once was for its ancient adorer.Ref: P. Blome, 'Basel Museum of Ancient Art and Ludwig Collection', (Geneva, 1999), p. 23, no. 18. - (LA.545)   « Less

This very fine bust depicts a male with delicate features, a broad smooth chest and curly hair framing the face. The head is covered by a veil,(or a himation), which reaches  More »

This very fine bust depicts a male with delicate features, a broad smooth chest and curly hair framing the face. The head is covered by a veil,(or a himation), which reaches down the back. Possessing a superb sense of dignity, of gentleness and poignant immediacy, the face is alive with feeling and emotion. The sculptor has managed to convey the image of someone who exudes an instantaneous appeal, while at the same time conveying a sense of mystery--the mystery of life, of departed souls and of the Etruscan people themselves. - (PF.5347)   « Less

Our knowledge about the Etruscan civilization is extremely limited. Our understanding of their language is still incomplete and most of the information that is known comes to  More »

Our knowledge about the Etruscan civilization is extremely limited. Our understanding of their language is still incomplete and most of the information that is known comes to us through the Romans, their one-time subjects who grew to become their masters. The Etruscans lived under a series of autonomous city-states spread out across northern and central Italy. By the 3rd Century B.C., they would be absorbed into the burgeoning Roman Empire.This red-figure beaked oinochoe bears a heavy resemblance to the terracotta wares created in the Greek colonies of Southern Italy, known in antiquity as Magna Graecia, revealing a link and cultural interchange between these two cultures. The ovoid body depicts a scene of a spotted feline (likely a leopard or a panther) attacking a long-eared stag. The painter has captured the most dramatic moment of the hunt, foregoing the chase for the moment of impact. Having just pounced at his prey, the large feline bites into the neck of the stag, his powerful jaw beginning to tear into the flesh. There are two small rosettes highlighted with white paints in the fields to the left and right of the animals, and a small plant growing out of the ground beneath the body of the stag, successfully situating this scene in a natural outdoor setting. Flanking the scene are large palmettes, a motif repeated on the neck of the vessel. These palmettes can also occurs in the decorative elements of Magna Graecian works. This beautiful vessel reveals the aesthetic dialogue that took place between the native Etruscans and their Greek neighbors to the south. - (X.0064)   « Less

Origin: Irbid, Jordan Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 3.5" (8.9cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Silver

Origin: Irbid, Jordan Circa: 300 BC to 100 BC Dimensions: 3.5" (8.9cm) high x 1" (2.5cm) wide Catalogue: V1 Collection: Classical Style: Hellenistic Medium: Silver   « Less

The trailing ivy that decorates this graceful vessel is a symbol of the wine god Dionysus. In the Classical Age, his followers wore crowns of this vine to drinking parties,  More »

The trailing ivy that decorates this graceful vessel is a symbol of the wine god Dionysus. In the Classical Age, his followers wore crowns of this vine to drinking parties, and the god himself carried a staff from which the plant grew magically. The presence of ivy on this otherwise simple pot indicates that it was originally used to hold wine. We can imagine it passing hand to hand at some ancient symposium. We can almost hear the laughter of the guests as they drank and talked far into the night. - (PF.0173)   « Less