This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a red-marble statue of a satyr, the so-called "Fauno Rosso" (red faun). The Fauno rosso depicts a satyr follower of Dionysus, the god of wine. He is depicted entirely nude, apart from a nebris (faun skin) knotted on the right shoulder and hanging down over his left shoulder.… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Statue of a satyr in red marble
I recently wrote about the series of special events that took place in Rome last year in celebration of the 2000th anniversary of Emperor Augustus' death. My previous post focussed on the 'House of Augustus' (see here), and today I will concentrate on the 'House of Livia' in this follow-up piece. First excavated in 1839, the… Continue reading When in Rome… visiting the House of Livia on the Palatine Hill
Last year, Rome celebrated the 2000th anniversary of Emperor Augustus’ death. To commemorate the date, a series of special events and openings were launched in the Italian capital, including the opening of new parts of the ‘House of Augustus’ and ‘House of Livia’ on the Palatine Hill. After years of restoration works, new lavishly frescoed… Continue reading When in Rome… visiting the House of Augustus on the Palatine Hill
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble head of Hypnos, the Greek god of Sleep. Hypnos is represented as a young man with wings attached to his temples (now lost). The head must have been part of a full-length statue showing Hypnos running forwards, holding poppies and a vessel from which he presumably… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble head of Hypnos
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble head of a female divinity, probably Persephone, the daughter of Demeter and queen of the underworld. The head is closely related to the head of Persephone, which is on display in the Museo Barracco in Rome (the Barracco-Budapest type female head, Inv. MB 85), and to the… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble head of a female divinity, Persephone?
The beautiful ancient Greek city of Aphrodisias, still partly excavated, is one of Turkey's most important archaeological sites of the late Hellenistic and Roman periods. The town was located in Caria in Asia Minor, on a plateau 600 meters above sea level. Today, it lies near Geyre village, some 80 kilometres west of Denizli. ---… Continue reading The Hadrianic Baths at Aphrodisias, Caria (Turkey)
In honour of Museum Week, the worldwide festival for cultural institutions on social media (#MuseumWeek), I invite you today to discover some of my favourite sculptures from the collections of the Musée Saint-Raymond in Toulouse (France). The museum is among the best and richest archaeological museums in France where visitors can discover the Roman town… Continue reading The Labours of Hercules reliefs from the Villa Chiragan, Musée Saint-Raymond Toulouse (France)
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a marble head of a companion of Odysseus, copied after a famous work of the Hellenistic period. This head shows the face of a man who probably belonged to a multi-figure group depicting Odysseus with his twelve companions blinding the one-eyed giant and the most famous Cyclopes, Polyphemus,… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble head of a companion of Odysseus
Just a short walk from the Pantheon, in Piazza di Pietra, are the majestic remains of the Temple of the deified Hadrian (Hadrianeum), built by Antoninus Pius, Hadrian's adopted son and successor. Only eleven columns with capitals and the cella wall of the original temple are still visible today. In 1696, during the pontificate of… Continue reading The Hadrianeum and the personifications of provinces
Last weekend I travelled to Toulouse to visit the fabulous exhibition on Roman frescoes being held at the Musée Saint-Raymond. The exhibition, entitled 'L'Empire de la couleur - De Pompéi au sud des Gaules' ('Empire of colour - From Pompeii to Southern Gaul'), opened last November and runs through March 2015. The majority of Roman… Continue reading Roman frescoes on show in Toulouse (France)
