May and Maia

 MAY and MAIA

I've always thought it strange there are so few depictions of Hermes' mother MAIA

The one below is part of a painting on a vase dated to about 500 BCE 

I love the way the position of her hands suggest she's having a lively discussion and you can just make out in this closeup traces of a hair ribbon binding up her undeniablely thick wavy less than perfectly orderly maybe even frizzly hair also suggesting a busy mum!

Old Piraeus Map

 Old #MAP of #PIRAEUS 

I was reading Xenophons description of the revolt against the Oligarchs and how it started at Munychia spread across Piraeus and then up into Athens. The northern larger harbor is much more important now so much more suitable for larger modern shipping. The two smaller ports facing seawards would have been even more useful at ancient times for ships powered as much by oar as sail. 

Sicyon Phlius and Xenophon

 I've been thinking about Sicyon and Phlius and other names on this map because I recently reread Xenophons History of my Times also called the Hellenika. 

Sicyon and Phlius are shown in large print on this old map like Corinth and Argos but today they're the sort of ruins that need a map if you are exploring onsite and theres not much to see using Google Earth or other photos either. Yet Sicyon and Phlius were much more important in the past.

Xenophon writes about Phlius because he was impressed by their warriors valor and skills and Sicyon was the home of famous artists art schools craftsmen sculptors and Aratus and others but today they are both rubble and ruin though one thing remains the Asopus river still flows past both of the sites. 

Corinth is still a major city though all this time because to control and build at Corinth is to control the Isthmus, the canal, the ports on both sides, the roads that cross the Isthmus and the high and low city. 

I'm also sharing this cos I love those old maps that show the topography! 

Orpheus Mosaic

 ORPHEUS MOSAIC #Orpheus #mosaic

While this is from the Roman era the style strongly suggests it may be a copy of an older painting and the location is a city in the part of whats now Turkey that had been settled by colonized and lived in by Greeks for several centuries. The use of tone also suggests a Greek artist to me.

Orpheus amongst the Thracians

 Orpheus Amongst the Thracians

#orpheus #thracians #greekceramics #painting

Orpheus amongst the Thracians is one of those simple yet elegant classical greek paintings that capture a surprising amount of detail on a very small scale .The artist has carefully rendered the lyre and details such as the lacing of the Thracian's boots and the way his cape and robes drape differently from the Greek costume of Orpheus.  The one raised foot of the woman holding the scythe and her eyes looking at both men the raised open hand of the male speaking the more relaxed pose of Orpheus himself show a skilled artist. 

Dionysius and Ariadne

 Dionysius and Ariadne 

#dionysius #ariadne #bronze #relief

Here is an excellent example of the sort of ancient art work that influenced not just Renaissance art but also Baroque with its fluid curves and emotional expression.

The composition is both simple yet complex as the longer one studies it the more and more of the details there are to delight in such as the bending of the knees or the drapes or their stance mirrored in each figure  ! 

A small exquisite masterwork !

Easter Sunday - Anastasis

 

For #eastersunday here's the famous #Anastasis #fresco from the #Chora church in #istanbul

Byzantine Art is Greek art too!  

Back to our normal Classics posts next Week !