"Part of my attraction to ancient art is that there is an element of risk, of speculation." -Michael Steinhardt
Ancient Art
The five works of art located in the Ancient Art room were chosen to display the wide variety of uses for birds in ancient art. Not only were they chosen to show their range of uses, but to show the symbolic use of these animals throughout this period as well. Varying in theme and size, these works of art come to show that birds were of great value to many different world-wide cultures of the Ancient period.
Dating back to the 18th Dynasty in Thebes, Egypt, around 1350 BC, this fragment of a scene from the tomb-chapel of Nebamun depicts the king hunting birds in the marshes. The work of art better known as Fowling in the Marshes, is now located in the British Museum.
This fresco titled Painted Garden, was previously located in the triclinium within the Villa of early Roman Empress Livia Drusilla. This work of art dates back to the 1st Century BC, and is currently located in the Museo Nazionale Romano.
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Previously located on the walls within the Palace of King Ashurnaspiral II, this stone carving was created around 885 BC in modern day Calah, Iraq. This work of art is titled Bird-Headed Diety, and is currently displayed in the Denver Museum of Art.
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Currently on display in the British Museum, this Grecian work of art is a black figure vase paining titled Heracles and the Stymphalian Birds. It was painted from 560-530 AD during the High Archaic period, and depicts Greek Mythology hero, Heracles shooting a number of birds with a sling.
This fresco of the Minoan civilization was created between 1550 and 1500 BC on the Greek island of Santorini. Titled Spring Fresco, this work of art depicts birds, blossoming flowers, and colorfully rolling hills, and is currently located in the National Archeological Museum in Athens, Greece.
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