Photos from my second time at the British Museum.
A double-headed Aztec snake enameled in a mosaic of turquoise. Turquoise was one of the Aztec's most important minerals, as it was associated with Quetzalcoatl, the serpent rain god who represented the birth of new life. There were a lot of beautiful turquoise-covered objects at the Museum, including a mask consisting of a human skull with turquoise overlaid on top of the bone.
The front half of a massive horse, about fifteen feet high, from the top of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. There would have originally been four horses atop the Mausoleum, but only this one was at the Museum. The iron bit and bridle are both original.
A statue of the Molossan Mastiff. While the breed is extinct, they were respected by the Romans for their loyalty and trainability, and their genetics contributed considerably to all modern mastiff breeds today. It also reminds me of an epitaph I saw in the room devoted to Greek and Roman writings. The epitaph was for a dog named Margherita, or 'Pearl', who was born in Gaul and meant to serve as a hunting dog, but instead ended up living a life of luxury as a beloved pet before dying. Her memorial mentioned that her bark scared no one.
For Rachel: a Greek black-figure vase of Achilles and Penthesilea at Troy.
A statue of Venus interrupted while bathing.
A double-headed Aztec snake enameled in a mosaic of turquoise. Turquoise was one of the Aztec's most important minerals, as it was associated with Quetzalcoatl, the serpent rain god who represented the birth of new life. There were a lot of beautiful turquoise-covered objects at the Museum, including a mask consisting of a human skull with turquoise overlaid on top of the bone.
The front half of a massive horse, about fifteen feet high, from the top of the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus. There would have originally been four horses atop the Mausoleum, but only this one was at the Museum. The iron bit and bridle are both original.
A statue of the Molossan Mastiff. While the breed is extinct, they were respected by the Romans for their loyalty and trainability, and their genetics contributed considerably to all modern mastiff breeds today. It also reminds me of an epitaph I saw in the room devoted to Greek and Roman writings. The epitaph was for a dog named Margherita, or 'Pearl', who was born in Gaul and meant to serve as a hunting dog, but instead ended up living a life of luxury as a beloved pet before dying. Her memorial mentioned that her bark scared no one.
For Rachel: a Greek black-figure vase of Achilles and Penthesilea at Troy.
A statue of Venus interrupted while bathing.
I love Venus's expression there, it's so "Why the fuck are you in my bathroom?"
ReplyDeleteRAIN SERPANTE !!!
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