The Judgment of Paris, an important myth in the ancient Greek world, illustrates the superiority of love over the other forces that are wisdom and power. According to this immemorial myth, the goddess of dissension created a competition between three goddesses, Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, quarreling over a golden apple signed “to the fairest”. The […]
Category: Iconography
Sphinx
The iconography of the sphinx arose in several Ancient cultures, most famously in Ancient Egypt and in Greek mythology. The first sphinxes appeared in Egypt during the 3rd millennium BC. A typical Egyptian sphinx is in a reclined position and has a human head and lion’s body. It is a symbol of the union between […]
Grotesques
« The grotesque is a kind of free and humorous picture produced by the ancients for the decoration of vacant spaces in some position where only things placed high up are suitable. For this purpose, they fashioned monsters deformed by a freak of nature or by the whim and fancy of the workers, who in […]
Unicorns
The unicorn is known to have the power to heal sickness. Many medieval remedies were based on the powder from its horn. It was commonly thought that only a young girl could approach a unicorn, and in order to capture it and acquire its precious horn, one had to use a virgin as bate. These […]
Hercules and Omphale
Hercules is a symbol of virility and strength. Nevertheless, the legend of Hercules and Omphale shows us this hero sitting at her feet, while spinning wool and sometimes even dressed with woman clothing. This story took place after the the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Because he killed Iphitus, the son of King Eurytos, the Oracle […]