Chapps

Chapps, 8 months ago to random

An Egyptian Amarna-era alabaster perfume bottle in the shape of a hes-vase (libation vessel), inlaid with a depiction of an Amarna princess standing on a blue lotus blossom. The blue lotus opens anew every morning with the sun. For an ancient Egyptian, the child and the flower would have been a powerful image of rebirth and rejuvenation.

The image on the side is a marvel of lapidary skill, consisting of carnelian, obsidian, gold, and colored glass inlay.

#MetMuseum #archaeology 1/

Chapps, 8 months ago to random

Archaeological mystery!

The Roman-era marble figure on the left, below, was recently found in Afyonkarahisar, Turkey. Note the red modius-style hats! Turkish officials have identified it as the 'Three Graces', but ... they all face forward, each carrying two torches. That's three-bodied Hekate's iconography. #archaeology 🤔

Thoughts? Why identify the figures as the Graces instead of Hekate?

Marble statuette of triple-bodied Hekate and the three Graces. The tall figures of Hekate face outwards, equally spaced in a circle, separated by the tall torches they carry in each hand. The Three Graces dance around the far taller figures of Hekate, their hands clasped together. Hekate presided over pathways and crossroads, especially at night. She was the goddess of the moon and of nocturnal sorcery. Like Hermes, she could travel to and from the underworld and the earth. 1st-2nd c. CE. Met Museum (1987.11.2)

Chapps, 8 months ago to random

An elegant 18th c. porcelain jug? No! It's instead a 1st c. BCE-1st c. CE #Roman glass oinchoe, imitating the usual metal form of this vessel. The body was blown, but the rest was cold cut. Stunning. Certainly found in a tomb.

Met Museum (17.194.170) 🏺
📸 my own

Chapps, 8 months ago to random

5th c. BCE small Greek terracotta naiskos (shrine) with the god Hermes and two goddesses or 'nymphs'. They all have large shield fibulae pinning their clothes at their shoulders. Clear remains of the original pigments. #polychromy #archaeology

From Tanagra (Boeotia, Greece)
Altes Museum, Berlin