Statue of Mother

801_6883 [Mana]

 

The Statue of Mother is located on the island of Aegina,

3 km north of the port of Aegina,

in the area of Plakakia. [37°45'54.5"N 23°25'26.6"E]

 

The spot is beautiful and attracts any visitor to the island.

It is only a walking distance away from the house

where Nikos Kazantzakis lived and wrote his works

and from the beautiful Bouza lighthouse.

 

The Statue of Mana is the work of the well-known Greek sculptor

of the 20th century (1909 - 1993) Christos Kapralos.

It is made of bronze and symbolizes the mother

who is waiting for her son who is a sailor to return from a long, multi-day, voyage.

 

A few meters opposite the statue

you can visit the Christos Kapralos Museum to enjoy remarkable exhibits.

 

 

 

801_6912 [Mana]

 

Please click on the picture

to enjoy the sunset in a larger resolution.

An Amphora

801_1932 [Amphora]
 

This monumental amphora was found in Kerameikos cemetery, very close to the Acropolis of Athens, and is exhibited in the National Archeological Museum in Athens. It dates back to 760-750 B.C. 

 

Impressive dimensions (approximately 125cm x 60cm) and an interesting, painted scene of people.

See below. 

 

 

801_1932 [scene]

Please click on the photo for a better view.

 

The scene shows a funeral of that time. The dead person is depicted lying on the deathbed in the middle of the scene, while men, women and a child around it all lament with the hands on their heads, the mourning gesture of those days.

 

Photographed in Athens on January 18, 2014

Gold masks

_8012793 [Mask A]

Death masks made of gold.
They were found in Grave IV at Mycenae excavations.

16th century BC

   
The mask below is the only one found that shows the eyes open.

_8012787 [Mask B]

Photographed within the National Archeological Museum in Athens [here] on March 16, 2014

 

The west pediment of the Parthenon

_8012090 [The west pediment of the Parthenon]

The themes of both east and west pediment representations on the Parthenon derive from the Greek mythology. On the west pediment specifically, representations depict Athena and Poseidon at the center of the composition competing with each other to become the patron of the city. Poseidon has just struck the earth with his trident and produced a spring of water for the city, while Athena did the same with her spear and produced a live olive tree. Poseidon - feeling defeated - appears to be retreating in fright. On both sides of the contestants, the horses that pulled the contestants’ chariots stood on their hind legs also frightened by what was happening. The composition is completed to the corners with other personalities from the Greek mythology.

Photographed in the Acropolis Museum in Athens on January 30, 2014
and then
heavily processed in software to eliminate unpleasant window reflections
and to give prominence to the figures.


Please click on the picture for a better view.
 

The east pediment of the Parthenon

_801299 [The east pediment of the Parthenon]

The sculptural arrangement on the east pediment of the Parthenon, [see above], is based on a theme that derives from the Greek mythology. It narrates the birth of Athena [the goddess of wisdom] from the head of her father, Zeus [the father of all gods]. How it happened is well described below:

“[So,] according to [Greek] mythology Zeus gave birth to Athena after a terrible headache prompted him to summon for Hephaestus’ [the god of fire and the forge] assistance. To alleviate the pain, he ordered Hephaestus to strike him with his forging hammer, and when he did, Zeus' head split open and out popped the goddess Athena in full armour.”
Source: http://ancient-greece.org/art/parthenon-ped-east.html
 
In the center of the composition above one can see Zeus sitting on his throne, and Athena, fully grown and armored, standing in front of her father, while many other gods on both sides of the composition are witnessing Athena's miraculous birth.

Photographed in the Acropolis museum in Athens on January 30, 2014
and then
heavily processed in software to eliminate unpleasant window reflections and to give prominence to the figures.

 
Please click on the picture for a better view.
Then,
let your imagination travel 25 centuries back 
– when the Parthenon was first opened to the public – 
and “see” the beauty of the original statues not only on the east pediment
but also of those on the west pediment that will be uploaded soon.

Satyros at Olympia

_8012045 [Satyros at Olympia]

A portrait head of a boxer made of bronze. It was found at Olympia, Greece. The man is crowned with kotinos, the olive-wreath awarded to victors in the Olympic games. Unfortunately, only the stem of the wreath is preserved. His facial features have led to the identification of the figure as a boxer. The head probably belonged to the statue of the famous boxer Satyros of Elis, who repeatedly won the boxing event at Nemea, Pythia and Olympia. The statue was the work of the Athenian bronze-sculptor Silanion.

About 330-320 BC.
.

Photographed within The National Archeological Museum in Athens [here] on January 18, 2014

Zeus or Poseidon?

8011966 [Zeus or Poseidon?]

A bronze statue of either Zeus or Poseidon. His exact identification as Zeus or Poseidon is controversial but the former is considered more probable. It was found in the sea of Cape Artemision, in northern Euboea. The god extends his left arm before his body, while holding a thunderbolt [or a trident if Poseidon] in his right hand. It is one of the few preserved original statues of the Severe Style, notable for the exquisite rendering of motion and anatomy; undoubtedly, the work of a great sculptor of the early Classical period (about 460 BC).
 

 Detail

8012815 [Zeus or Poseidon? Detail]

 Both photographed within the National Archaeological Museum in Athens [here]
on January 18, 2014

Artemision Jockey (detail)

_801202 [Artemision Jockey (detail)

In December 2014 I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to attend a guided tour to a photographic exhibition held within the National Archaeological Museum of Greece in Athens. The tour was conducted by the well-known American photographer and ardent philhellene J. Joshua Garrick who guided visitors to his photographic work of selected museum exhibits. The photographer not only provided a wealth of information on ancient Greek art but also led a tour that proved to be a crash course in innovative photography! Thank you Joshua. Days after the tour I couldn’t stop thinking of what the artist had shared with us and was tempted to replicate one or two of his admirable works. Eventually, I succumbed to temptation. The picture above is the outcome of my attempt to photographically approach this exhibit [Artemision Jockey, here] through Joshua’s eyes.

Photographed within the National Archaeological Museum in Athens [here] on January 18, 2014

The Artemision Jockey

8011980 [The Artemission Jockey]

A bronze statue of a horse and its jockey. It was retrieved in pieces from a shipwreck off Cape Artemision in Euboea. The young jockey of the galloping horse is believed to have held the reins in his left hand and a whip in his right hand. The contractions and furrows on his face, especially on the forehead, reveal agony and passion. The work is known as "the Artemision jockey". The pieces were reassembled to a whole in 1971.

It dates back to about 140 BC.

Photographed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens (here) on January 18, 2014.

Aphrodite

8011997 [Aphrodite]

A statue of Aphrodite made of Parian marble and found in Southern Italy. It formerly belonged to the collection of Lord Hope. The neck, head and right arm were restored by the famous Italian sculptor A. Canova (1757-1822). This version of Aphrodite was made in the 2nd c. AD with Syracuse Aphrodite being the original which goes back to the 4th C. BC.

Photographed in The Archeological Museum of Greece in Athens (here) on January 18, 2014

A kouros

_8011950 [a kouros]

A marble statue of a kouros (a sculpture of a standing nude young man) found in Anavyssos, Attica.
It had been stolen and taken to France, from where it was returned in 1937. It is worth noticing how powerful and articulate the body is with emphasized muscles. The statue stood on the grave of Kroisos, as is indicated by an epigram on its base that says: “Stop and mourn at the grave of dead Kroisos, whom the raging Ares destroyed when he fought among the defenders.”

It dates back to about 530 B.C.

Photographed in The National Archaeological Museum in Athens (here) on January 18, 2014.

A rhyton

8011900 [a rhyton]

A rhyton is a liquid container usually in the form of a horn, a head of a woman, or a head of an animal. It was used by the Ancient Greeks and other peoples to pour or drink wine from it during ceremonies.

The rhyton in this photo is made of silver with gold horns and rosette on the forehead. The muzzle, which has the pouring hole, is gold-plated, as were initially the eyes and the inside of the ears. It dates back to 16th c. BC.

Found in Grave IV in the archeological site of Mycenae.

Photographed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens (here) on January 18, 2014.

Aphrodite, Eros and Pan

8012032 [Aphrodite, Eros and Pan]

A marble statue showing Aphrodite, Eros and Pan, which was found on the island of Delos. The nude goddess Aphrodite is trying to keep away from her the goat-footed god Pan who is making erotic advances to her. She is holding her sandal threateningly in her right hand, while the winged god Eros is trying to help her.
About 100 B.C.

 Photographed in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens [See it here] on January 18, 2014.

A gold infant covering

8011904 [A gold infant covering]

Pieces of gold foil that were used for covering the body and the face of an infant in Ancient Greece in the 16th century BC. They were found in "The grave of the women" in Mycenae. It is the only one such covering archeologists have found until today. A remarkable detail are the ring-shaped earrings.

Photographed in the National Archaeological Museum (See it here.) in Athens

on January 18, 2014

Silenus

CCC_9522 (Silenus)

An exhibit in the museum of the Stoa of Attalos in Athens.  It shows a herm in the form of a sleeping Silenus. Such herms served as fence-posts in ancient Greece and were used for decorative purposes in later periods. 2^nd cent. A.D.

Athens:  18/09/2012, photo by Tony Taglides

The longest nails in the world!

DSCN0180 [The longest nails in the world!]

An exhibit from the museum of Curious Objects in San Marino, Italy.

It shows Shridhar Chillal from India who never cut the nails of his left hand from 1952 to 2000, letting them grow 615 cm in total!