The Getty has one of the best collections of ancient Minoan and Cycladean art and I could spend hours looking at these pieces. Most of them were in an area that was too dark to take photos and they had a beautiful Goddess display that was in an area you were not allowed to photograph. This Cycladean face is my favorite piece in the whole collection. I love the beauty and simplicity of it and the serene feeling it has. I love its modern lines and the fact that it's so very old (about 2,300 BC). We know next to nothing about these ancient cultures and I love the mystery behind it.
Isn't this Roman lion beautiful? It is one of four feet for an intricately carved sarcophagus.
This frieze makes me smile. I'm not sure if it's Roman or from another culture; I can't remember which part of the museum it was in. Did you know that an elephant with his trunk up is good luck? When I was little I used to collect tiny elephant carvings.
I don't know which is prettier; the maiden or the marble behind her. I had to do some Photoshop magic to show them both off. I had trouble exposing this so you could see both parts well.
This statue tells the story of Leda and the Swan. Zeus thought she was so lovely that he changed into a swan to be with her. From that union, she gave birth to the beautiful Helen of Troy.
I believe this statue on the right is of Tyche, the Roman goddess of chance.
Here is the infamous Greek Kouros of the museum. There was controversy over whether this sculpture is real or a perfect fake. He is beautiful in any case. See this article to read more about it.
This is the ceiling above an alcove where a sculpture rests. I love the elegant white on white of this. It reminds me of a beautiful fondant wedding cake!
Do you like Greek pottery? I love the variations and of course I like the simplicity of the earliest, black versions the best!
Isn't this a lovely fresco? I love the ladies and the colors here.
I'm not sure of the history of these last pieces, but they are so whimsical they just make me smile!
1 comment:
Hi Lianna, this looks like a fabulous collection! I love Archaeology and Ancient History, I even studied Latin at school (not that I can remember any of it now though!) but I mainly did it because of the Cultural and Historical training that you also received as well as the language. I'm the person who drags everyone else to the Archaelogical sites when we are on Holiday! :o) You're the first person I 'know' who also like this kind of thing!
Post a Comment