#limestone statue

[blueiscoool]

An Egyptian limestone figure of a Queen or goddess Early Ptolemaic Period, circa late 4th-3rd Century B.C.

[blueiscoool]

A FINE LIFE-SIZED EASTERN ROMAN BUST OF A WEALTHY LADY 2ND-3RD CENTURY A.D.

[blueiscoool]

A Cypriot Limestone Male Head Circa 5th Century B.C.

[blueiscoool]

Roman Over Life-Size Statue of Antinous, Companion of Emperor Hadrian, as a Hunter 130-138 AD

Nude but for the paludamentun (cloak) over his left shoulder and arm, clasped on his right shoulder. He has the characteristic muscular development of Antinous, his boyish face, and mass of curls bound with a diadem. Limestone. H. 152 x w. 51 x d. 31.5 cm.

Antinous, also called Antinoös, (c. 111 – c. 130) was a Greek youth from Bithynia and a favourite and lover of the Roman emperor Hadrian. Following his premature death before his twentieth birthday, Antinous was deified on Hadrian's orders, being worshipped in both the Greek East and Latin West, sometimes as a god (θεός, theós) and sometimes merely as a hero (ἥρως, hḗrōs).

Little is known of Antinous's life, although it is known that he was born in Claudiopolis (present day Bolu, Turkey), in the Roman province of Bithynia et Pontus. He was probably introduced to Hadrian in 123, before being taken to Italy for a higher education. He had become the favourite of Hadrian by 128, when he was taken on a tour of the Roman Empire as part of Hadrian's personal retinue. Antinous accompanied Hadrian during his attendance of the annual Eleusinian Mysteries in Athens, and was with him when he killed the Marousian lion in Libya, an event highly publicised by the Emperor. In October 130, as they were part of a flotilla going along the Nile, Antinous died amid mysterious circumstances. Various suggestions have been put forward for how he died, ranging from an accidental drowning to an intentional human sacrifice or suicide.

Following his death, Hadrian deified Antinous and founded an organised cult devoted to his worship that spread throughout the Empire. Hadrian founded the city of Antinoöpolis close to Antinous's place of death, which became a cultic centre for the worship of Osiris-Antinous. Hadrian also founded games in commemoration of Antinous to take place in both Antinoöpolis and Athens, with Antinous becoming a symbol of Hadrian's dreams of pan-Hellenism. The worship of Antinous proved to be one of the most enduring and popular of cults of deified humans in the Roman empire, and events continued to be founded in his honour long after Hadrian's death.

[blueiscoool]

An Egyptian Limestone Block Statue of a Man 3rd Intermediate Period, 1075-716 B.C.

Seated on a rectangular base with his arms crossed on his knees and hands emerging from his enveloping cloak, and wearing a short beard and wide rounded wig falling to his shoulders, a rectangular pillar behind, his face with large eyes with incised tapering eyebrows and cosmetic lines. Height 32 cm.

The distinctive form of the Egyptian block statue first appeared in the Middle Kingdom and grew in popularity afterward. The large surface areas were particularly suitable for inscriptions, and the sturdy compact shape gave the statue permanence. In certain instances, they may have been intended as guardians of temple entrances.

[blueiscoool]

Headless Maya Statue Discovered in Mexico

The limestone statue has been nicknamed "Yum keeb" - or the god of phallus and fertility.

A lifesize statue of a headless human was recently discovered in the ancient Maya city of Oxkintok, Mexico, during excavations led by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

The limestone statue, which has no head, hands, lower legs or feet, is 5'5 in height and has been nicknamed "Yum keeb" - or the god of phallus and fertility.

The archeologists believe that the statue was made in the image of a Maya warrior, most likely a prisoner of war. According to INAH general director Diego Prieto, the lack of a head "surely represents a warrior who was a prisoner in combat."

He added that it was likely that the person represented by the statue had ultimately been decapitated after his capture.

Giving a media tour of the excavation site, archeologist Luis Pantoja Diaz explained further the significance of the discovery, saying "he was found lying on his back and represents the human figure. We see marked pectorals, the middle part that could be the hanging belly and the part of the member."

However, the information shared by the archeologists is tentative, not definitive, as there is a lot that is still unknown and Pantoja Diaz stressed that it's difficult to say anything with certainty at this stage.

The ancient city of Oxkintok

The ancient Maya city of Oxkintok is located on the northwestern tip of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, an area known for being rich in limestone but scarce of lakes.

Evidence at the site of the ancient city suggests that it was inhabited from the Late Preclassic through the Late Postclassic periods of Maya prehistory, but there is no evidence of any particular war or famine that caused the abandonment of the city in 1500AD.

The city served as a major hub in the Early Classic and Terminal Classic periods. During this time, residents built structures such as pyramids and created detailed hieroglyphics and iconography.

[themuseumwithoutwalls]

MWW Artwork of the Day (2/7/18) Fifth Dynasty (Egyptian, 2494–2345 BCE) Ptahkhenuwy and his Wife (c. 2400 BCE) Painted limestone statue, 70.1 cm. high The Boston Museum of Fine Arts

The poses, youthful body forms, and the wife's embrace of the husband in this private sculpture is the same as those of King Menkaura and his queen in their dyad. The man here is identified by an inscription painted on the base in black paint as Ptahkhenwy, supervisor of palace retainers. He stands with his left leg forward in the traditional male pose, and his partner, her name no longer legible in the inscription and identified now only as "his wife whom he loved," stands beside him with both feet together.

Most Egyptian sculpture was painted, but all too often the paint has not survived. Fortunately, such is not the case with this statue. The husband's skin is red ochre, the traditional color for men, whose work outside would have left them sunburned. The wife's yellow-ochre skin reflects the traditional role of women inside the house. Both their facial features are the same. Neither is a true portrait, but rather an idealized likeness of how each wished to be remembered for eternity. Negative space between the couple and the base is painted dark gray.

(from the BMFA catalog)

For more Ancient Egyptian art, see this MWW Special Collection: * MWW Ancient/Medieval Gallery

[theancientwayoflife]

~Limestone statue of a bearded man with votive offerings. Period: Classical Date: ca. 475–450 B.C. Culture: Cypriot Medium: Limestone

This statue of a man dedicated in a temple at Golgoi reflects the influence of Greek sculptural style in Cypriot art of the fifth century B.C. The lifesize figure wears a typical eastern Greek costume consisting of a finely pleated linen chiton and a wool himation (cloak). He stands with the left foot advanced in a pose that renders a subtle sense of movement. The slight Archaic smile and the jewel-like precision with which the hair and the beard were carved bring to mind Greek Archaic art of the sixth century B.C. This votive figure wears a wreath of oak leaves and stylized narcissus flowers, which must have evoked ideas of fertility and regeneration. In his left hand he holds a dove, perhaps intended as a gift for the deity of the temple at Golgoi.