Paper overflows in every art room—giant sheets, colorful scraps, old artwork, specialty textures, drawing paper, and more. It multiplies overnight where it doesn’t belong and vanishes when you need it for a lesson. Organize paper and get ahead of the clutter with simple systems that empower students, run themselves, and reduce waste.
Let’s take a peek at easy systems to organize paper in your art room!
Add specific and detailed labels.
Paper storage doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive—it just needs to be clear. The most effective systems are so intuitive that students don’t have to ask what goes where. This starts with bold, direct labeling. Instead of writing “Drawing Paper,” try specific labels like “Scraps: Use Me First!” or “9×12 Black Construction Paper.”
Here are three small shifts that make a big difference:
Keep common paper accessible with open shelving and open bins.
Pair scrap bins with fresh paper to encourage reuse.
Add images to your labels to assist younger artists and multilingual learners.
Create an intentional scrap bin.
Scrap paper is both a blessing and a burden. When left unmanaged, it turns into a mess of torn bits, weird sizes, and frustration. But with the right setup, scraps can become creative gold.
Make a “Use Me First!” scrap bin right next to the fresh paper station. This subtle placement reminds students to check it out before grabbing new materials. If you have space, sort scraps by color scheme or material type using clear plastic drawers, a spread of baskets, or a hanging over-the-door pocket organizer.
Here’s how to encourage your students to use the scrap bin:
Reward creativity that comes from reuse.
Challenge students to use a certain number of scraps in an artwork.
Create a “Scrap Challenge Day” where everyone transforms scraps into masterpieces.
Introduce a collage unit.
Try envelopes for small “next time” scraps.
Speaking of scraps, what about those scraps students claimed for their art project but didn’t have a chance to use yet? At the beginning of the year, give students an envelope with a metal clasp to glue into the inside cover of their sketchbooks. This is the perfect spot to store paper scraps like small collage pieces they want to save for next time! Plus, the clasp allows students to close it securely so items don’t fall out.
Use vertical space for large paper.
Large paper is especially tricky if you don’t have flat files. It’s often too floppy to stack, too wide to fit in regular drawers, and too precious to crumple. If you’re comfortable rolling paper, store rolls in tall laundry hampers or gift wrap bins. Many of these items also have wheels, which is handy because paper can get quite heavy!
For specialty paper you don’t use often, keep it in the cardboard packaging it came in. Label the edge of the box and slide it into a vertical space, such as between cabinets. If you have a variety of specialty papers, keep them neatly stacked with binder clips or paper clips on each side. Put them into a large portfolio, label the portfolio, and slide it into a vertical space.
Sort flat files with trays and bright labels.
Flat files are a dream if you have one, and a black hole when they get clogged. Assign a weekly “Paper Captain” to organize the papers. Giving students this responsibility encourages studio ownership and waste reduction.
If you are storing smaller papers in a large flat file, use drawer organizers such as expandable dividers or paper trays to keep everything sorted and contained. If you’re storing larger papers, use binder clips or paper clips on multiple edges with large, bright labels. The labels can be as simple as a piece of fluorescent construction paper folded in half around a stack of watercolor paper that says in marker, “9×12 120 lb Watercolor Paper.” This way, when large stacks slide around, you can easily find the label and what you need!
Repurpose kitchen items for your art on a cart.
If you’re teaching in multiple rooms or need flexibility, rolling carts can be a lifesaver—but only if they’re well-organized. Try expandable racks to keep wet papers separated and baking trays for pre-cut papers, just like in the video below!
Here are some other kitchen hacks to organize paper:
Use a metal bakeware organizer to stack fresh paper or completed projects.
Organize papers in hanging file folders in a plastic file box.
Keep small papers in accordion folders.
Grab cardboard or plastic magazine file holders to contain paper.
Glue labeled samples of each kind of paper to a clipboard for students to reference, so they don’t dig through your cart.
Throw small scraps in clear gallon storage bags and clip or hook them onto your cart.
Implement the “One Sheet Rule.”
One of the fastest ways to run out of paper is letting students take as much as they want and start over as many times as they want. Give each student one sheet of paper and put away the rest. If they “mess up,” encourage them to embrace imperfection and figure out a way to incorporate the “mistake” into the final art. Introduce this policy at the beginning of the year to build a culture of creative problem solving!
To support sustainability and creative thinking, keep an “Oops Box” nearby. This is where slightly damaged paper can live another life as collage material, texture sheets, or sketchbook covers.
When your paper system works, you feel it. The art room flows better, students know where things go, and everyone respects paper instead of wasting or forgetting it. Best of all, you’re no longer spending precious prep time digging and sorting through paper instead of planning the next exciting project. Let’s spend more time making with paper and less time managing it!
What’s the best paper organization system you use in your art room?
Share a hack for keeping paper scraps tidy!
To chat about how to organize paper with other art teachers, join us in The Art of Ed Community!
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
Greek Sphinx figure is riveting. Whenever I see its beautiful wings and lion’s paws, it puzzles and inspires me to create. The sphinxes look mystical, enigmatic and surreal. When I went to Greece I revived my interest in this art symbol. I’ve found that the Greek sphinxes are different from the Egyptian ones. Moreover, the Greek art has some near east influences as a similar bird-the griffin- shows up in the archeology of Greece. Let’s discover their history together to understand how ancient cultures developed, mixed and created art with various meaning and symbolism.
Sphinx from Spata, a stele crown, 570-550 BCE, this is a copy of the original displayed in the Athens National Museum. This copy is on view at the airport in Athens.
The enigmatic world of Greek sphinx: its history & artistic influences
Both griffins and sphinxes are mythical creatures that show up in the archeological museums in Greece. The Greek sphinx figure shape seems to be a combination of the Near East griffin and the Egyptian sphynx visually.
1. The Griffins of Greece
The griffin originated in the Near East and got adopted by the Greeks in art. Griffins are frequently shown as protectors or guardians. They might be flanking entrances or royal figures.
Golden figure of a griffin, Delphi archeological museum, Greece, photo: Veronica Winters.
SHAPE:The griffin has the body of a lion (sometimes winged) and the head and wings of an eagle. The griffins have a powerful stance and curled tongues.
Panel with a griffin, Byzantine art of 1250, marble, at the Met | Made for Christian use, the panel shows the mythical griffins as guardian figures of the dead, and symbols of power and authority. The panel probably comes from a tomb. According to the Met, griffins may have meant both to protect the people buried within the tomb and to symbolize their royalty status. The fleurs-de-lis on the griffin’s shoulder and haunch typify the era’s complex cultural interplay, as similar motifs are found in contemporary Islamic and Crusader depictions of animals. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/472849Griffin figures in KnossosPalace, Crete, Greece, photo: Veronica Winters. | The fresco of high-relief Griffins tethered to columns decorated the “Great East Hall” of the palace of Knossos. The decoration of the hall also included religious emblems and representations in relief of boxing and bull-leaping games. According to Arthur Evans, this hall, located next to the “Grand Staircase”, was used for official ceremonies by the palace rulers. Knossos Palace, Neopalatial period (1600-1450 BC). Griffins in Knossos don’t look menacing, rather they appear decorative and kind.Examples of the bronze heads of griffins, Delphi archeological museum, Greece, photo: Veronica Winters.Bronze head of a griffin, Olympia, Greece, third quarter of the 7th century BCE, the Met. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255367 . According to the museum’s description, bronze cauldrons were set on tripods or conical stands. Cast in bronze, griffins’ heads decorated the cauldron rims that stood in Greek sanctuaries between 8-6th centuries B.C. Some of the cauldrons were colossal as Herodotus mentions the giant cauldron made for King Kroisos of Lydia that could hold 2,700 gallons. Over six hundred similar griffins exist nowadays, with most of them found at the sanctuary of Zeus at Olympia and at one of Hera on Samos.I took this picture at the archeological museum in Delphi. It looks like a demonic sphinx figure, although it could also be a griffin or a fleeing gorgon. The facial expression and multiple hands remind me of the Indian gods as well. There were several golden plaques like this one in the museum, showing these demonic creatures. Mythological creatures like gorgons and sphinxes often functioned as apotropaic images (had the power to avert evil or bad luck) that protected the grave.
2. The Egyptian Sphinxes
The Sphinx of Tanis, Louvre, photo: Veronica WintersThis is the Egyptian statue of a lion I saw displayed in the Vatican museums. photo: Veronica Winters
SHAPE: The Egyptian sphinx is a creature with a lion’s body and a human (male) head. The Egyptian sphinx typically possesses a pharaoh’s face, blurring the lines between the human and the divine to symbolize the enduring power of the ruler. Egyptian sphinxes had no bird features and were associated with protection and power.
The Sphinx of Tanis, 2620-1866 , the Louvre, Département des Antiquités égyptiennes, A 23 – https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010010062 – https://collections.louvre.fr/CGUThe Sphinx of Tanis, 2620-1866, Height: 183 cm; Length: 480cm; Width: 154 cm, pink granite, place of discovery: Tanis, currently displayed in the Louvre. Sphinx de Tanis, du Louvre, Département des Antiquités égyptiennes, A 23 – https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010010062 – https://collections.louvre.fr/CGU
These figures served as guardians of the dead, often flanking tombs or standing watch at temples. Over time, the sphinx evolved as a concept, with variations featuring the head of a ram or a falcon depending on the specific deity being honored. Egyptian sphinxes were primarily crafted from limestone but granite was also used to carve detailed figures.
Sphinx of Hatshepsut, New Kingdom, 1479–1458 B.C. the Met, NY. It was one of at least six granite sphinxes that stood in Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544442Seals found in Knossos palace, Crete, photo: Veronica Winters. SEALS: Egyptian scarabs and seals with scenes rendered in the typical naturalistic style of the Neo palatial and Final Palatial periods (1650-1350 BC). Many scenes with animals like wild goats, bulls, lions and caprids were popular depictions of the natural world. A distinctive example is the rare gold seal depicting a barking guard dog sitting on a garden enclosure. The seals’ craftsmanship reaches technical and aesthetic perfection. Artists used semiprecious stones- sard, cornelian, agate, amethyst, jasper, rock crystal, hematite, sardonyx, chalcedony, lapis and bronze tools – small chisels, burins, drills and polishing materials. The hole was made before the final engraving. Many tools, raw materials, unfinished, broken seals and processing debris of the seal-carvers’ workshops have been found at Poros, the harbor-town of Knossos.These are various Greek figures created in the Egyptian style I saw in Greece. Look at the awkward anatomy of these figures. It seems to me that the Greeks were inspired by the Egyptian art but learning the human anatomy and proportion took time to master. From left to right: Egyptian-style figures (Athens); Archaic period figures, 7th century BC (Heraklion, Crete), Egyptian-style figure (Eleusis), and the 6th-century BC statues displayed in Delphi from the temple of Apollo. By looking at these sculptures as an example we can say that the ancient Greek art was strongly influenced by the Egyptian art.
3. The Assyrian Sphinxes
These are the examples of the Assyrian sphinxes I found on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although they have the sphinx shape, their heads can vary.
Openwork furniture plaque with a striding ram-headed sphinx, Assyrian, 9 BCE, the Met. NY. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/325666Plaque with a striding sphinx, Assyrian, 8 BCE, the Met, NYThe British Museum, London. Photo: V.WintersGolden Bracelet with the image of winged griffin, The British Museum, London. Photo: V.WintersThese art instruction books are on sale on Amazon!
The Greek Sphinx emerges: history & symbolism
SHAPE: The sphinx was a mythical being with the body of a lion, the wings of an eagle, and the head of a woman. Some could have a long tail. Sphinxes are depicted in a seated position, often with a strange smile and facial features resembling ancient near eastern art.
The Greeks adapted the sphinx concept (guardians of the dead) from Egypt through trade and cultural contacts. Greek sphinxes appeared before the 12th century BCE. After a hiatus of about 400 years, the sphinx reappeared in Greek art around the 8th century BCE. It appeared on coins, pottery, and funerary monuments as grave stelai.
Grave Stele
GRAVE STELE or STELAI, 600-500 BC. Greece. Photo: Veronica Winters. Below you’ll find a museum’s description that I’ve adapted for better reading experience in English.
Funerary monuments appeared on the graves of important people starting from the Mycenaean period. Such example is the discovery of the stelai in the Grave Circle A at Mycenae, Greece. There is little information available on the early Geometric period in Greece based on today’s research. There’s more archeological information available dating from the late Geometric period. The excavations in Attica region (Athens) revealed the findings of large vases, amphoras and crates that depicted the mourning scenes and other epiphora of the dead that functioned as the funerary monuments. Grave marks were small, plain stones during that time period.
From the end of the 7th century B.C. the tombs got marked with a monumental stele, which was either incised, painted or done in relief. The early grave markers were tall and narrow. One side of it represented the deceased. They were crowned by a finial in the shape of a concave molding, influenced by the Egyptian art. In the first quarter of the 6th century BC, the finial was low. Later, it became taller and more elaborate with incised or relief decorations with leaves, rosettes, guilloche, lotuses and rare human figures. The finial toped the demonic figure of a sphinx, the guardian of a tomb. Around 550 BC, the form of the finial becomes even more elaborate with double volutes that assume the shape of an inverted lyre. The Sphinx remains the principal element of the crowning. This stele type dominates Greece until about 525BC.
Around 530 B.C, the overall form of the stele changes again. It becomes lower and narrower, and the Sphinx usually placed on the finial gets replaced by two single or double volutes with the Anthemion (design consisting of a number of radiating petals), influenced by the Ionian and Egyptian art. Many of these grave markers had a painted decoration representing the deceased and various animals like horses, roosters, dogs, etc. The name of the dead appeared written in the possessive case at the bottom of the stele or on its base.
The largest and most important group of the Archaic funerary steles comes from Attica with representations of athletes and warriors. It’s rare to find other figures depicted on steles. Besides Attica, other places manufactured the grave markers in Greece. The grave steles were smaller found in the Aegean islands and Ionia. In the 6th century, they were also crowned with the anthemion and showed various figures, such as the youth, young women, children or elderly men. The islands, lonia and other areas of Greece produced grave steles without interruption. In Attica, however, the production of funerary stones ceases around 6th century BC. Possibly after a prohibition by Kleisthenes aiming at curtailing the use of luxurious memorials. The reintroduction of the funerary monuments in Athens takes place during the Peloponnesian War around 430-420 BC.
Marble grave stele of Antigenes with a painted figure (not incised or done in relief), 6th century BC, the MetMarble stele, grave marker of a hoplite foot soldier, 525 BCE, the Met
The Anthemion shape
These are the examples of the Anthemion shape flower I found in several archeological museums of Greece. These vases and other fragments vary in dates.Marble stele (grave marker) with a youth and little girl, and a capital and finial in the form of a sphinx, Greek, Attic, ca. 530 BCE, the MET. 13 feet high. “The youth on the shaft is shown as an athlete, with an aryballos (oil flask) suspended from his wrist. Athletics were an important part of every boy’s education, and oil was used as a cleanser after exercise. He holds a pomegranate—a fruit associated with both fecundity and death in Greek myths—perhaps indicating that he had reached puberty before his death. The little girl, presumably a younger sister, holds a flower. The sphinx crowned a funerary stele as a symbolic protector for the deceased Megakles from the powerful clan of the Alkmeonidai.” The monument stood in Attica (the region around Athens) where people could see it from a great distance. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248500Marble stele (grave marker) with finial in the form of a sphinx, Greek, Attic, ca. 530 BCE, the Met, NY.ATTIC FUNERARY MONUMENTS
The reappearance of private funerary monuments in Attica in the first decade of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), after a long hiatus that began with the prohibitive law of Kleisthenes, is associated with the destructive effect of the plague that broke out in Athens in the beginning of the great war with Sparta. Full of fear and sorrow, the Athenians cremated their dead in masses, in an attempt to limit the fast spreading of the plague that lasted until 425 BC. Perikles himself was among the victims of the deadly illness. The political and economic upheaval brought about by the war and the concomitant changes in the population’s moral and religious beliefs as a result of the plague strengthened the conservative powers, which succeeded in restoring the ancient custom of erecting private memorials. This practice lasted until 317 or 307 BC, when the erection of luxurious funerary monuments ceased again, after a law issued by Demetrius of Phaleron. In contrast to the Archaic period, in the Classical period statues are uncommon as funerary monuments. Their place is taken by grave stelai and marble funerary vases. The form and decoration of funerary monuments varies according to the sex, age, social class and origin of the dead. Towards the end of the fifth century BC, grave reliefs adorn primarily the graves of women, youths and children. On the contrary, memorials for male citizens are mostly plain; they give emphasis on the personal name of the dead, the name of their father as well as that of their deme of origin, which indicates their civil rights. Memorials for foreigners record their personal and ethnic names, whereas those for slaves provide only their personal name. In the numerous cemeteries of the city and the coastal and inland demes of Attica, the large grave plots of prominent families point to the importance acquired in this period by the family a fact also indicated by contemporary drama. The center of the plot is occupied by a tall stele crowned by an anthemion and decorated only with rosettes. The stele lists the names of the family dead in succession and is framed by other monuments -stelai, gravestones in the shape of naiskoi, and marble funerary vases decorated in relief or in paint. The commonest theme is the so-called dexiosis, where the dead is shown in handshake with his or her kin. Another typical theme is the representation of the dead man with his young attendant, or the dead woman with her maid. Children are depicted with their pets and toys. The Athenians selected a marble funerary loutrophoros for youthful, unmarried dead, symbolically offering them a nuptial bath. Characteristic of Classical funerary imagery are the idealistic rendering of the dead with controlled emotions, and the avoidance of immediate references to death. An exception is formed by the dead in war, women who died in childbirth, as well as foreigners. Differences are observed in the imagery of marble vases, which are influenced by the sepulchral themes of white-ground lekythoi.
TheNaxian Sphinx
The base of the giant Naxian Sphinx, marble, Halos, Delphi. Photo: Veronica Winters.
The colossal Naxian Sphinx stood on a 12-meter high ionic column in ancient Greece. Today the giant sphinx is on display at the Museum of Delphi. Mentioned in the myth of Oedipus, the Sphinxes were linked to the primitive cults. They were considered to be the guardians of tombs and sanctuaries placed as funerary monuments and votive offerings. A highly popular image in ancient Greece, the demonic Sphinx was a loan from the East to ancient Greek art. This colossal statue of the Sphinx of Delphi was offered by the Naxians in the 6th century BC.
The giant Naxian Sphinx in the Halos, Delphi: The Naxian Sphinx got created around 560 BC, preceding the construction of the Siphnian treasury – a building at the Ancient Greek cult center of Delphi, in which the priests hosted the offerings from the city of Siphnos. The building stood on the “Sacred Way” road going through the Sanctuary of Apollo.
Naxos, a wealthy island of the Cyclades, sent a gigantic offering to the Sanctuary of Apollo of Delphi – the statue of the mythical Sphinx. Its colossal size, imposing appearance and location in the sanctuary (near the rock of Sibylla -the Sibyl rock-and in the foreground of the polygonal retaining wall of the temple) commemorated political and artistic supremacy of Naxos in the Archaic era. This demonic creature with the female face and enigmatic smile was supposed to be warding off the evil. Placed on the capital of a 12.50m tall ionic column, the sphinx became the oldest element in the ionic order in Delphi.
Carved from a huge Naxian marble block, the Sphinx shows solid structure with beautiful rendering of the hair, chest and wings, giving the impression of lightness. Dated to the 4th century BC, the incised inscription on the column’s base states that the priests of Apollo honored the people of Naxos with the privilege of promanteia, that is, priority in receiving an oracle.
Close up views of the giant Naxian Sphinx figure in Delphi, photo: V.WintersLimestone funerary stele shaft surmounted by 2 sphinxes, Cypriot, 5th century BCE, the Met, NY. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/242050Beautiful views of a limestone statue of a Greek sphinx, 550 BCE, the Met, NY. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/254504
What does the Greek Sphinx mean? A lot of ancient Greek sphinxes are found as grave offerings in tombs, funerary monuments and sacred vessels in palaces. While the meaning of a Greek sphinx appearing on an ancient vase can probably vary some, most of the monuments seem to be connected to the world of the dead. The demonic creature was supposed to be warding off the evil, being the guardian of tombs and sanctuaries placed as funerary monuments.
For example, the Spata Sphinx is one of the most beautiful, well-preserved Greek sphinxes seen in Athens today.
Originally found in the Athens airport area, the Statue of a Sphinx was erected as finial of a grave stele in Attica. One of the earliest known Archaic Sphinxes, it was made of a Pentelic marble around 570 B.С.
“A series of vases of the early and late Geometric period (9th-8th Century B.C.) came from a cemetery at the northern area of the airport. These were the first artefacts to inform us about the inhabitants of the land of that period. A network of dirt roads ran next to a cemetery, which crisscrossed fields, olive groves, vineyards, and linked the rural communities of the Attica. The family tombs of local aristocracy, who owned the best land in the area, dotted the landscape in the 6th century B.C. Powerful “Spata Sphinx,” now in the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, belonged to one of such luxury funerary monuments. A replica of this sphinx is exhibited at the airport’s museum.”
Limestone funerary stele with antithetical sphinxes, Cypriot, 450 century BCE, the Met, NY. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/242406
The Greeks placed the statues of a Sphinx as finial of a grave stele or as luxury grave monuments to be the guardians of the dead, similar to how sphinxes were viewed in Egypt. The Greek sphinx was also associated with riddles and challenges, as seen in the myth of Oedipus. The demonic statues were also decorative elements in small vases and perfume boxes.
Here are some Sphinxes and Griffins incised on tombs’ decorations I saw in Eleusis, Greece. Eleusis was an important ancient Greek cult center that got destroyed with the rise of Christianity.
Ancient Greek Vessels showing the statue of a Sphinx:
Black-figure Amphora showing the sphinx figure (Storage Vessel): Attributed to the Phineus Painter South Italian or Greek, “Chalcidian” (probably made in Rhegium [modern Reggio Calabria], South Italy), ca. 520-510 BC, Ceramic. Tampa Museum of Art, US. Photo: V. Winters This elegant, large sphinx is painted in the shape and “Chalcidian” painting style of black-figure vases. The name of this style comes from the Greek town of Chalcis but thought by many scholars to have been produced in South Italy.A Greek vase showing two sphinxes, photo: V. WintersLarge Sphinx figure is painted on a vase exhibited in Eleusis, the cult center. In the 7th century, the population of Eleusis declined, probably due to drought and famine. With high child mortality, the majority of the burials consisted of infants and toddlers buried in jars. This amphora depicting a winged sphinx was used for a toddler burial. Archaic artisans were experimenting with new decorative patterns and techniques coming from the East. Note the optical illusion on the neck of the vessel! The opposing heads of the panther and the lion create a face that stares right at us.Terracotta stand, Greek, Attic, ca. 520 BCE, On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 157.
A lot of Attic pottery was manufactured and exported to Etruria. “Indigenous Etruscan shapes were reinterpreted in Athenian workshops; the Hellenized variants then sold to Etruscan patrons in the west and often buried in their tombs. The Etruscan prototypes generally exist in the sturdy black ware called bucchero. This pair of stands represents the phenomenon of adaptation with a shape unique in Attic vase-painting. They probably held floral or vegetal offerings.” https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/255195
Ancient Greek vase with two sphinxes, photo: V. WintersAncient Greek vase with some sphinxes and animals, photo: V. Winters.
Similar designs on a pottery can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Terracotta dinos, 630 BCE, the Met, NY. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/256846Terracotta pyxis, cosmetic box, Greek, 550 BCE, the Met, NY http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/239949
Color
A fragment of a colored wing I saw in the Athens archeological museum.
Color: “Polychromy” means “many colors” in Greek. Artists painted the statues of the sphinx figures and other sculptures using very bright colors including blue (azurite) and red. Traces of hues are left on the archaic limestone sphinxes dating from the early 6th century BCE. The sphinx displayed at the Met shows traces of cinnabar red, yellow ochre, carbon-based black, and blue pigments. According to the researchers at the Met, they identified 2 blue pigments – Egyptian blue (synthetic color developed in Egypt in the Late Bronze Age) and Azurite blue. Expensive Cinnabar Red was imported from Iberia (Spain). Red ochre was made of hematite.
These are the colors used in ancient Greece to color their monuments as as seen in the archeological museum in Athens. The display shows the original pigments coming from various regions beyond Greece itself. Fragments of a white stone show colored wings dated at 570 BC! Lapis (blue color) consists of many minerals, mainly lazurite from Afghanistan. Conichalcite (green), Malachite & Azurite pigments come from the Laurion mines. White comes from Western Melos Island and consist of kaolinite, alunite, titanium dioxide. Ochre (yellow) comes from the copper mine in Cyprus and consists of jarosite. Red hematite mixed with iron hydroxides comes from the islands in Greece. There is a display of synthetic pigments- white and blue. Lead white is cerussite+ hydrocerussite. The Egyptian blue is marble powder+ quartz+ copper + alkali cooked at 860 degrees Celsius.
Other popular materials:
Ivory Elephant ivory: this raw material and the Hippopotamus ivory (also in use during the Mycenean era) came from Near East & Egypt. Elephant ivory was reserved for large and expensive art pieces. In the palatial period (14th-13th centuries BC), artisans worked ivory in specialized workshops to make luxury objects, like the elaborate male or female figurines made for religious purposes, jewelry boxes, ivory handles for bronze mirrors, combs and musical instruments. They also produced massive amounts of ivory plaques-inlays in luxury furniture (beds, chairs, footstools) and even the chariot parts. Groups of plaques were in the shape of bull heads, figure-of-eight shields, columns, lilies or ivy leaves. According to the Linear B texts, ivory had inlays with gold, silver or kyanos (blue glass). Ivory objects or plaques depicted the human figures, griffins, sphinxes or animals in relief. Rosettes, half-rosettes or spirals had the decorative intent.
The figure of a small sphinx, Mykines, photo: Veronica Winters
Miniature art in bronze and gold:
Minoan miniature metal sphinxes (525-500 BC & 475-450BC) and pomegranate (6th BCE), Heraklion, Crete.
During the Neo palatial period, Minoan artists specialized in miniature art, producing works in gold and ivory plaques and mold-cast inlays in vitreous materials such as faience and glass paste. Their artistic motifs included images of nature and sacred symbols (like the double axe and the seated ivory child from Palaikastro). The arms of a figurines have traces of the veins showing artistic precision captured in miniature art.
Bronze statuette of a sphinx, Greek, 5th century BCE, the Met http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/256231This is one of the bronze vessels I saw in the museum in Athens. The vase shows strong Egyptian influences in art depicting the sphinxes, figures and animals.Bronze vase handle in a shape of a sphinx figure.Bronze mirror with a sphinx figure, photo: Veronica WintersBronze mirror with a winged figure, photo: Veronica WintersBronze mirror supported by a female figure with two sphinxes, 520 BC. photo: Veronica WintersGold earring with a sphinx, Greek, 4th century BCE, the Met Gold pendant in the form of a sphinx, Greek, 5th century BCE, the Met, NY.
Oedipus and the SphinxMythology:
Two-handled jar (amphora) depicting Oedipus and the Sphinx of Thebes, the Achilles Painter, Greek, Classical Period, 450–440 B.C, Place of Manufacture: Greece, Attica, Athens, on view at Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Embodying danger, destruction, and riddles, the most famous Greek sphinx is the one guarding Thebes in the story of Oedipus. This sphinx presented a deadly riddle to travelers, devouring those who couldn't answer it. No one could until the day Oedipus showed up. The riddle: "What is that which has one voice and yet becomes four-footed, two-footed, and three-footed?" Oedipus gives the answer that it's a man. He's four-footed as a baby. He walks on two feet as an adult and gets the third foot- a cane when he gets old.
Oedipus, king of Thebes, is a classic Greek tragedy of fate and free will.
A Doomed Prophecy: King Laius and Queen Jocasta of Thebes learn from an oracle that their son will kill Laius and marry Jocasta. Horrified, they try to prevent this by piercing the infant’s ankles (hence the name “Oedipus,” meaning “swollen foot”) and abandoning him on a mountain.
Twist of Fate: A shepherd finds the baby and takes him to the king and queen of Corinth, who raise him as their own.
Fleeing Fate: Years later, Oedipus consults an oracle and receives the same chilling prophecy – he will kill his father and marry his mother. Believing his Corinthian parents to be his true ones, he flees Corinth to escape this fate.
Unknowingly Fulfilling the Prophecy: On his journey, Oedipus gets into an argument with an older man (Laius) at a crossroads and unknowingly kills him. He then arrives at Thebes, where the city is plagued by the Sphinx, a creature who devours travelers who cannot answer her riddle. Oedipus solves the riddle, defeating the Sphinx.
Reward and Unwitting Marriage: As a reward, Oedipus is declared the new king and marries the widowed queen – Jocasta, his biological mother, thus unknowingly committing the sin of incest. They have children together.
Unraveling the Truth: A plague falls upon Thebes. Seeking the cause, Oedipus uncovers the truth of his past through a series of revelations, including a blind prophet and a shepherd.
Tragic Consequences: Realizing the horror of his actions, Jocasta takes her own life and Oedipus, in despair, blinds himself. He is ultimately exiled from Thebes, condemned to wander with his daughters as his guides.
Attic cup: Oedipus and the Sphinx, interior of an Attic red-figured kylix (cup or drinking vessel), c. 470 BCE; in the Gregorian Etruscan Museum, the Vatican Museums, Rome.
The tragic end of Oedipus, when the truth was revealed, served as the ultimate lesson in Delphic theology. It means that all humans should live a life of virtue, knowing that their fate has been predetermined by the gods. This is something that even Socrates, the wisest of men according to Pythian Apollo, admitted in Plato’s Apology, just before meeting his own end.
The Oracle; Camillo Miola (Biacca) (Italian (Neapolitan), 1840 – 1919); 1880; Oil on canvas; 108 x 142.9 cm (42 1/2 x 56 1/4 in.); The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has a painting called The Oracle by Camillo Miola (Biacca), 42x56in, 1880 that depicts the Oracle of Delphi chosen by Apollo-the Pythia. The painting includes the omphalos, a sacred object at Delphi that was considered the center of the world. The ancient Greeks consulted the Delphic Oracle as she spoke the truth channeling prophecies coming from God Apollo.
The story explores themes of fate versus free will, the power of knowledge and self-discovery, and the devastating consequences of defying the gods’ will. The sphinx mythology remained a popular motif in Greek art and literature for centuries and was revived in the 19th-century European art. The examples of which I’m including below.
Oedipus and the Sphinx, Gustave Moreau, French,1864, The Met. The legendary Greek prince Oedipus confronts the malevolent Sphinx, who torments travelers with a riddle, remains of which who answered incorrectly litter the foreground: “What creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon, and three legs in the evening?” (The solution is the human, who crawls as a baby, strides upright in maturity, and uses a cane in old age.)
Moreau exhibited this painting at the Paris Salon of 1864. Despite the emergence of new painting ideas and style in art at that time, the artist focused on painting surreal, mythological, and imaginary stories. His mystical art inspired many artists, including Odilon Redon and Oscar Wilde.
Oedipus and the Sphinx, Gustave Moreau, French,1864, The Met. Closeup.The Silent Councillor from the Portfolio, engraving done after painting by Tadema http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/668073Ingres, Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1864, the Walters Museum of Art. and Ingres in The National Gallery, 1826, London. Ingres painted the story of Oedipus several times refining composition and even reversing the figures in a mirror-like image. One of the paintings is in The National Gallery, London and a reversed one is in The Walters Art Museum. Can you see the difference? 🙂 The London one looks like a developed sketch but not a finished painting. There’s also another (finished) painting on view in the Louvre dated to 1808.Claude Ferdinand Gaillard, engraving done after Ingres, the Met, NY.
This black-and-white image is an engraving – a form of printmaking that allowed to make hand-pulled copies of art for mass distribution. Printmakers usually made engravings of famous paintings thus giving them a much wider reach.
Scottish National Gallery, a closeup of a painting depicting a golden chair with a sphinx figure.
Conclusion
When I decide to write an article about any subject, it quickly spirals into a rabbit hole of endless information. While I start with my basic knowledge on the subject, it becomes an extensive research based on my travel photography, books and descriptions at the art museums. I hope you enjoyed reading about the origins and artistic development of this enigmatic sphinx figure that will inspire you to both create and share this article with your friends!
References: While most of my writing is based on my trip to Greece where I took pictures of descriptions and art in the archeological museums and sites in Athens, Heraklion, Mycenae, Delphi, etc, I also found beautiful images and descriptions on the Met website that I included throughout the article. Main links are below:
The Enigmatic World of Greek Sphinxes: history, mythology & art
Explore the world of Greek sphinxes in this fascinating video, delving into history, mythology, and art. From ancient pottery to colorful myths, uncover the mysteries of these enigmatic creatures!
In this episode I share my research about ancient Greek Sphinxes. I explore cultural influences, places and meaning of the Sphinx that’s based on my trip to Greece. A lot of information also comes from the Met’ website. It’s best to either watch a video or see the pictures of ancient Greek art on my blog.
From Faber-Castell Polychromos to Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils: reviewing their characteristics to create realism art
In this episode I compare popular brands of colored pencils – Polychromos vs. Prismacolor. I look at their advantages and disadvantages drawing with them for many years. I also share what papers work best with these professional colored pencils.
If you’re familiar with the Japanese art of wood joinery, you’ll likely find kumiko equally intriguing. The traditional craft emerged in the Asuka era between about 600 and 700 C.E. and similarly eschews nails in favor of perfectly cut pieces that notch into place. Intricate fields of florals and geometric shapes emerge, creating a decorative panel that typically covers windows or divides a room.
A video from The Process, a YouTube channel exploring various manufacturing sectors and hand-crafted techniques, visits the workshop of Kinoshita Mokuge. Viewers are welcomed into the meticulous, labor-intensive process of producing elaborate, interlocked motifs. Japanese Arts also offered a glimpse into this art form a few years back during an equally calming visit to Kurozu Tetsuo’s studio.
Ancient Delphi: buildings reconstruction shown at the site
When I looked at the images of Delphi before going to Greece, I wasn’t impressed with the site. Not much was left there but a few columns and stones. However, when I reached that place, I was stunned by Delphi’s ethereal beauty and historical significance. The ruins of ancient Delphi lie less than a mile east of the modern town of Delphi (which is small and insignificant).
Situated at the top of Mount Parnassos, the breathtaking view of ancient Delphi channels mysticism, history and unique culture. This is the place where Zeus marked the center of the world, God Apollo slayed the serpent, the oracle uttered her prophecies that influenced ancient Greek history, the Pythian Games came about and the Greeks worshiped their gods with incredible offerings. Delphi couldn’t be a more beautiful place for a temple to Apollo.
According to ancient legends, the first settlement of Delphi was a shrine of the Earth Mother, Gaia. Ice-age people worshiped her divine powers. When the Mycenaeans lived in the village, Delphi was already known for its sacred oracle and prophecies around the second millennium B.C. (according to the International Dictionary of Historic Places, book).
Red-Figure Squat Lekythos (Oil Vessel): Birth of Erichthonios, c. 420–410 BCE, attributed to Meidias Painter, Greek, Attic, active c. 420–400 BCE. A closeup of a vase, The Cleveland Museum of Art.
The seated earth goddess Gaia or Ge handed her baby, Erichthonios, to Athena. Conceived from the seed of Hephaistos, Erichthonios would go on to become a king of Athens, and the story of his birth became popular in Athenian art of the 5th century BC.
In antiquity, reaching an important cultural cult center and sanctuary of Delphi would be a long and tough journey traveling from Attica or other places. It would be a place of cleansing, worship, and rich offerings to receive guidance from the oracle. The messengers sent to enquire of the oracle entered the sanctuary only after being purified in the Castilian Spring. The ancient Greeks consulted the Delphic Oracle as she spoke the truth channeling prophecies from God Apollo himself.
When you reach Delphi, you’ll see the ruins and foundations of both temples and votive offerings in the Sacred Way with some reconstruction and artifacts in the archeological museum. The sanctuary was destroyed after the last Roman Emperor, Theodosius I, in the name of Christianity, wiped out the temple of Apollo and art in the sanctuary around 390 AD. Only in the 17th century, considerable interest emerged with major excavations taking shape in the 19th century. Greece became independent from the Turks in 1829, and archaeologists began researching the site. They removed a small village built atop Delphi and unearthed the ancient ruins in the late 19th century. In 1935, archeologists found a pit below the paving of the Sacred Way filled with precious materials that got destroyed in the earthquake of 548 B.C. They included parts of the chryselephantine statues (female heads made in bronze and gold), miniatures, silver bull fragments, and other artifacts now displayed at the Museum of Delphi. You can also see some pretty amazing archeological finds like the Naxian Sphinx and the bronze charioteer.
On your way to Delphi, stop by a small and beautiful town, Arachova. Have some coffee there and climb up the stairs to see a local church. You’ll find a perfect spot for selfies with a stunning landscape below.
The Charioteer, a closeup of a bronze sculpture done in the Classical period, 478 BC, 1,82m in height.The Oracle, Camillo Miola (Biacca), Italian, (1840 – 1919); 1880; Oil on canvas; 108 x 142.9 cm (42 1/2 x 56 1/4 in.); The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles has a painting called The Oracle by Camillo Miola (Biacca), 42x56in, 1880. This painting depicts the Oracle of Delphi (Pythia) chosen by Apollo.
The Tholos of Delphi
The Tholos of Delphi reconstruction shown in Delphi, Greece
One of the most interesting ancient Greek buildings is the Tholos of Delphi. It’s a masterpiece of ancient Greek architecture because of its elaborate decoration, polychromies, and exceptional craftsmanship. In antiquity, the Tholos stood out among the monuments of the Sanctuary of Athena Pronaia, the first sanctuary encountered by the pilgrims arriving from Attica or Boeotia.
In the early 4th century BC, the circular edifice consisted of a core structure built from the Pentelic marble originating from Mount Penteli in Attica. Theodoros from Phocaea was the architect of this building because the Roman architect- Vitruvius mentioned his name in the book titled “De Architectura.” The floor was made of white marble in the center and dark limestone from Eleusis towards the circumference.
The marble roof had layered square panels and bows. The outside space had decorations of dancing women, clay tiles, or marble slabs.
Made of twenty Doric columns, the outer colonnade supported a frieze with triglyphs and metopes. What we see today at the site is just three columns that were restored in the 1930s to give us a better visual reference of the building. You can see the smaller interior metopes of the tholos in the nearby museum. These are broken pieces of figures from Greek mythology and history.
Delphi. Greek Doric order architectural style features the triglyphs, metopes, and the Anthemion flower decorating the frieze of the outer colonnade. Triglyph is a vertically channeled angular tablet that defines the Doric style. Metopes are either painted or sculptured decorations set between these triglyphs. (The Parthenon of Athens has 92 metopes). The Anthemion flower is one of the main decorations in Greek architecture and pottery. If we take off the triglyphs and metopes of the Greek building, it would become made in the Tuscan order, not the Doric one).The Anthemion shape found on a pottery, Delphi MuseumThe Tholos of Delphi with three reconstructed columns and the ruins of Cella with a staircase. The building was destroyed in a fire in the 1st century B.C. It was partly restored in 1938.
The cella or ‘temple’ is the inner, windowless chamber with a door in ancient Greek buildings. It usually contained a cult statue or a table with precious offerings. In the Tholos of Delphi, the inner colonnade of ten Corinthian-style half-columns decorated the circular wall inside the cella. The relief metopes of the outer frieze had the scenes of Centauromachy and Amazonomachy, now on display in the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. The conical roof also had sculptural decorations. The original function of the building is unknown. It was possibly associated with the cult of Mother Earth, the first divinity worshipped in the sanctuary.
The open area of circular Halos, which means the “threshing floor” used to have religious significance with a ritual held every eight years in that place. The ritual showed a reenactment of the god Apollo slaying the serpent. The boy who impersonated Apollo walked the Doloneia staircase situated at the rear of the Halos. There were 4 semi-circular exedras built surrounding the Halos in antiquity with just two of them preserved today. Exedra means a portico or arcade with a bench or seats for people to converse.
The Tholos observed from the Temple of Apollo“Polychromy” means “many colors” in Greek. There are traces of colors left on some ancient Greek sculptures showing cinnabar red, yellow ochre, carbon-based black, and blue pigments. “Kunsthistorische Bilderbogen”, Verlag E. A. Seemann, Leipzig. Picture is in the public domain.
This is a reconstruction of the Polychrome decoration characteristic of the ancient Greek architectural style.
The Omphalos of Delphi
The Oracle; Camillo Miola (Biacca) (Italian (Neapolitan), 1840 – 1919); 1880; Oil on canvas; 108 x 142.9 cm (42 1/2 x 56 1/4 in.);
The Rock of Sibyl: The oldest cult center in Delphi was made of rocks fallen from the Phaedriades, dark limestone cliffs on Mount Parnassos. According to a local tradition, the first prophetess of Delphi, the Sibyl Hierophile, stood here to utter her oracles. It’s believed she had foreseen the fall of Troy. The ancient sanctuary of Earth (Ge) appeared around the sacred spring in this area, meaning that Delphi was the center of the world.
A copy of The Omphalos of Delphi is displayed in the archeological museum of Delphi. The original stood in the adyton, where Pythia gave the prophecies or oracles. Hellenistic period. Marble. Delphi. Height: 1,23 m, Diameter: 0,92 m.
The sacred omphalos of Delphi (or navel-stone), are believed to have fallen from the heavens. Devoid of artistic shape, it was a conical stone thrown down by Zeus to find the center of the world, the Earth’s navel. According to the Greek myth, Zeus released two golden eagles to fly in opposite directions from Mount Olympus. These two birds met over Delphi and Zeus threw down a stone there, which became the Earth’s navel thereafter.
This marble representation of the omphalos is a Hellenistic or Roman copy of the Archaic omphalos, which was kept in the adyton inside the temple of Apollo. The adyton was a restricted area within the cella of a Greek or Roman temple. It was the most sacred part of the temple, often located at the end of the cella, and translates to “innermost sanctuary, shrine” or “not to be entered”. The ancient writings suggest that the sacred tripod, prophetic laurel, and omphalos were all kept in the adyton of the Temple of Apollo, where Pythia pronounced her oracles.
The relief decoration of the stone imitates the weave of the agrenon, the thick woolen net with attached bands of wool that covered the original sacred omphalos stored inside the adyton. There were many copies of the sacred omphalos that existed at the sanctuary. The exhibited stone may have been the one witnessed by the travel writer Pausanias in the 2nd century AD. According to him, the tied bands had points with gorgon-shaped precious stones. The two golden eagles were affixed to its top.
It's quite fascinating to learn that the omphalos played an important role in the oracle's predictions, suggesting that Pythia talked to Gods and channeled her oracles through this stone. Moreover, it's speculated that Apollo buried the Python (that was the Earth's spirit) under the Omphalos and that allowed for this communication.
The Delphic Tripod: Apollo, Hercules & Pythia
The Oracle; Camillo Miola (Biacca) (Italian (Neapolitan), 1840 – 1919); 1880; Oil on canvas; 108 x 142.9 cm (42 1/2 x 56 1/4 in.); Painting detail showing the Oracle of Delphi sitting on the Delphic Tripod uttering the prophesies. This Delphic tripod was a chair on which the oracle sat.
Apollo as the oracular god, Dionysus as his brother
The Greek god Apollo arrived at Delphi around 1000 B.C. In legends and myths, the oracle of the earth goddess, Gaia was guarded by a great serpent, the python. Apollo killed the serpent with an arrow and became known as the Pythian Apollo. Apollo is the most important oracular god in ancient Greece. He helped ancient Greeks navigate decision-making by knowing the future and communicating the thoughts of his father, Zeus. Therefore, the oracle was so important to the nation, giving people the divine guidance they needed to live their lives.
So consultations with the oracle took place in the temple of Apollo every month. The rituals happened inside the temple’s adyton. A priestess sat upon a tripod to cry out her oracles. Following a purification ritual at the Castalian spring, she was believed to be in a trance answering questions from the visitors. Some important outcries were engraved on stone. Those cries received interpretation from priests and were written down into verses. People asked different questions in regards to their personal lives, and military and religious conquests. The city-states also asked questions that were written down on a sealed tablet to travel back to them. According to the museum’s description, 615 prophecies were saved in literary sources and inscriptions. The interpretation of such prophecies or oracles was ambiguous because the person who asked the question could interpret them as well. Therefore, God Apollo was also known as Loxias or ambiguous. He represented the best virtues, mainly art, music, poetry, beauty, health, and reasonable behavior.
Attributed to the Nikon Painter, Terracotta lekythos (oil flask), ca. 460?-450 B.C., Terracotta, H. 15 in. (38.1 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leon Pomerance, 1953 (53.224)
Apollo’s younger brother Dionysus, was also worshiped at Delphi. In ancient Greco-Roman sculpture, Dionysus has a beautiful slender body and long, wavy hair, and sometimes is thought to be Apollo and vice versa. Dionysus was the god of wine and irrational behavior. The two gods were worshiped at different times of the year.
John Collier, Priestess of Delphi, 1891, oil on canvas, 160 cm (62.9 in); width: 80 cm (31.4 in), Art Gallery of South Australia. The artist imagines Pythia sitting on a tripod with vapor rising from a crack in the earth beneath her.
Several known inscriptions came from the Delphic oracle. In 680 B.C., an oracle ordered the citizens of Megara to find the city of Byzantium (Constantinople/ İstanbul). In 547 B.C., Croesus, the king of Lydia, was told that he would destroy a great kingdom if he crossed the Halys River. He did so, was defeated by the Persians, and it was his own kingdom that was destroyed. In 480 B.C., Athens was threatened by Persian military forces. The oracle told the Athenians that they would be unconquerable behind a wooden rampart. This prophecy proved to be true: an Athenian fleet composed of wooden boats defeated the Persians at the decisive battle of Salamis. Many other of the oracle’s pronouncements influenced political and economic decisions of importance in the Mediterranean world. In return for the oracle’s advice, the temple received numerous valuable gifts. The remains of some of these treasures can be seen in the Delphi Museum. (International Dictionary of Historic Places).
The Father of Psyche Consulting the Oracle of Apollo by Baron François Gérard, 1796, pen and brown and gray ink, brown and gray wash, and gouache, over black chalk,18.9 × 14.6 cm (7 7/16 × 5 3/4 in.), The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
In the picture, Psyche and her mother enter the temple of Apollo at the moment when the oracle delivers a message from the god. With his pointed finger, Apollo prophesies that beautiful Psyche will marry a monster. While the girl falls into despair in her mom’s arms, her father and Cupid stay calm, suggesting reason over emotion.
Unknown illuminator, Simonides Consulting the Oracle of Apollo, 1475, tempera colors, gold leaf, and gold paint, Leaf: 43.8 × 30.5 cm (17 1/4 × 12 in.), JP Getty museum, Los Angeles.
This is one of the pages from the illuminated manuscript depicting the Oracle of Apollo.
Apollo slaying the serpent Python in Greek mythology
Apollo standing at left shooting a python with an arrow, above to the left are the muses and at right on a cloud, Cupid approaching Apollo, from “Story of Apollo and Daphne”, engraving, Master of the Die, Italian, After Baldassare Tommaso Peruzzi, Italian, 1530–60. The Met. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/364035
In Greek mythology, Apollo was the son of the king of all gods, Zeus (Jupiter) and a Titan mother, Leto, goddess of darkness. Apollo was one of the twelve gods of Olympus. Python was a gigantic serpent, the son of Gaea (the Earth goddess and the first goddess of the sanctuary), that lived inside the Earth in Delphi in accordance with the ancient Greeks belief. Hera, the wife of Zeus, got upset and decreed to kill Leto before giving birth to her child. Eventually, Leto gave birth to twins in a cave, Apollo and Artemis (Diana), the god of light and the sun and the goddess of the moon and the hunt. Hera sent the python to kill them but baby Apollo protected his family and slayed the serpent shooting arrows with his bow. Apollo's punishment for that act was his servitude to King Admetus as a cowherd for 9 years.
A closeup of “Latona and Her Children, Apollo and Diana,” William Henry Rinehart, American, 1870, carved 1874, (Leto in Greek).
In classical, Greco-Roman sculpture Apollo is the ideal of male physical beauty. He was shown nude with arrows and a bow, young, tall, fit, beardless, with long wavy hair collected in a bow-like not and beautiful, well-proportioned face. There are many depictions of Apollo in art history. I think the most beautiful ones are the "Belvedere Apollo" in the Vatican and Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" in Rome. Below you'll find the most beautiful sculptures of god Apollo.
Belvedere Apollo, Marble. H. 2.24 m, 7 ft. 4 in, the Vatican. This marble statue is thought to be a copy of a bronze original by the Greek sculptor Leochares from the 2nd century. Usually, it’s on view in the Vatican but it’s under restoration in 2024. Image author: Livioandronico2013 via wikimedia commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. You can also see a life-size plaster cast of the Belvedere Apollo in the Wilcox Classical Museum Collection at the University of Kansas https://wilcox.ku.edu/s/wilcox/item/11600 https://www.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani/en/collezioni/musei/museo-pio-clementino/Cortile-Ottagono/apollo-del-belvedere.htmlApollo as an Archer (Apollo Saettante), was found in Pompeii, Italy in 1817. Roman, 100 B.C.–before A.D. 79; Bronze, 57 7/8 x 21 5/8 x 44 7/8 in. (147 x 55 x 114 cm). This bronze sculpture of Apollo was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and was discovered in the early 19th century after the discovery of another bronze sculpture of Apollo’s twin sister Artemis. This statue was conserved at the J. Paul Getty Museum in 2009 and 2010.The bronze statue of Apollo was made using the lost wax technique. Greeks made the model in clay, then in wax, and then cast it in bronze pieces that they assembled with a fusion welding technique with a finish. They often put eyes made of stones and glass as you can see here. The lost wax process is explained here: https://www.getty.edu/art/exhibitions/apollo_pompeii/lostwax.htmlApollo’s eye from the sculpture in Pompeii, photo: JP Getty Museum. 500-100 BC, marble, obsidian, glass and copper. Cleveland Apollo, the eyes, 350–200 BCE, The Cleveland Museum of ArtBernini, Apollo and Daphne, marble, 1625, the Borghese gallery, Rome.
In Greek mythology, Apollo, the god of light, poetry, and music, falls in love with Daphne, a nymph and the daughter of the river god Peneus. Apollo angered the Cupid, Eros, the god of love, by mocking his bow and archery skills after killing the Python. In retaliation, Eros shot two arrows: one hit Apollo with a golden tip, causing him to fall in love with the first person he saw, and the other hit Daphne with a lead tip, making her hate romantic advances. When Apollo chases her, she calls for help from her father. Peneus transforms Daphne into a laurel tree to protect her. Apollo later adorns his lyre with the laurel leaves and crowns the victors with laurel leaves. This depiction of Apollo and Daphne comes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses.
From the museum’s description: Both the kithara, decorated with griffins, and the swan upon which it rests, signify Apollo’s roles as the god of music and leader of the Muses. Apollo received his lyre from Hermes, who invented it.Swans were considered sacred to Apollo because he gave them the gift of prophecy. Swans sing a glorious song before they die, knowing they will soon return to Apollo to be reborn.
Marble statue of the so-called Apollo Lykeios, Roman, 130–161 CE, the Met, This is a Roman copy of a Greek bronze of the mid-4th century B.C. often attributed to Praxiteles. This famous statue of Apollo stood in the outdoor gymnasium near Athens. The legs were restored from many shuttered pieces. http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/247002The Cleveland Apollo or Apollo Sauroktonos (Lizard-Slayer) or Apollo the Python-Slayer c. 350–200 BCE, The Cleveland Museum of Art, attributed to Praxiteles, (Greek, Athenian, c. 400–330 BCE) or Follower, Greece, Athens, Bronze, copper, and stone inlay, Overall: 150 x 50.3 x 66.8 cm (59 1/16 x 19 13/16 x 26 5/16 in.), Weight: 52.2 kgSculpture by Pietro Francavilla of Apollo‘s first triumph, when he slew with his bow and arrows the serpent Python, which lies dead at his feet. The Walters Art Museum. In my opinion, this is not the best sculpture of Apollo but it’s a famous example within the US.
Apollo of Sparta, Museum in Athens. Marble. 2nd century AD, a marble copy of a famous bronze statue of Apollo Parnopios (450 BC) was created by Pheidias.Apollo or Dionysus in the Athens museum, marble.Contemporary statue of God Apollo in Athens
Apollo & Heracles fight over the Delphic Tripod
Apollo and Heracles struggle for the Delphic tripod. Side A from an Attic red-figure stamnos, c. 480 BC. Louvre, wikimediacommons image.
In Greek mythology, Hercules and Apollo, half-brothers by Zeus, fight over the Delphic tripod in a story that appears in numerous vase paintings. Hercules travels to Apollo's sanctuary at Delphi to consult the oracle, but when she doesn't give him the answer he wants, he becomes enraged and tries to steal the tripod to establish his own oracle. Apollo, who holds the tripod sacred, intervenes and the two half-brothers wrestle over it. Hercules is supported by his patron Athena, while Apollo is supported by his sister Artemis. Zeus eventually tries to break up the fight by throwing a thunderbolt between the brothers. After they are separated, Hercules receives an oracle that condemns him to atone for his crime by serving as a slave to Eurytus for three years. Hercules eventually returns the tripod to Apollo and reconciles with him.
Apollo and Heracles fight for the Delphic tripod displayed at the Met. Terracotta amphora (jar) Signed by Andokides, Attributed to the Andokides Painter, Attributed to the Lysippides Painter, ca. 530 BCE
The Temple of Apollo at Delphi was first built of stone in the 8th century B.C. The ruins of Delphi are the third temple that survived until the Romans. This first temple was destroyed in fire in 548 B.C. and the second one was destroyed by an earthquake in 373 B.C. The third and last temple of Apollo was purposefully destroyed with the rise of Christianity around 390 AD. Roman emperors wiped out pagan culture in Greece, including the Sanctuary of Apollo. Both interest and excavations to this site emerged in the 17th century. (International Dictionary of Historic Places, page 183-186.)
The Temple of Apollo, a close-up showing the ruins and the altar of the third temple of Apollo ( the altar made and dedicated by the people of Chios) The Apollo Sanctuary map, copyright International Dictionary of Historic Places book
The first Temple of Apollo was the centerpiece of the sanctuary as the abode of the god and the seat of the oracle. By the 6th century BC, its fame had spread throughout the entire world. The first Temple of Apollo was founded by the god himself, according to the Homeric Hymn to Apollo. However, the fire of 548 B.C. destroyed it.
The second temple of Apollo
After the fire, the Temple of Apollo was rebuilt on a much larger scale. The Greeks extended the length of the terrace of the temple. They built a long retaining wall with polygonal blocks and curved joints to keep the ground in place. This construction of the temple lasted for many years and required enormous financing raised in generous contributions of Greek cities, colonies, and foreign rulers. The administration of this new temple was associated with the Alcmaeonids, an aristocratic Athenian family that was living in exile during the tyranny of Peisistratus. The Amphictyony entrusted the completion of the building to the Alcmaeonid family in 510 BC. To receive the god’s patronage as well as the alliance of Greek cities in their struggle against political adversaries, Herodotus wrote that the Alcmaeonids used marble for the temple’s facade. They also hired a famous Athenian sculptor (possibly Antenor) to create sculptures and decorations for the temple. These impressive statues of poros and marble were found in fragmentary condition during the excavations. Placed in compositions, these statues adorn huge gables measuring 2.35 m in height by 19.40 m in width. The result is a visual harmony between restrained sculptural decorations and the austere Doric order of the temple.
The west pediment was decorated with moving figures, depicting the Gigantomachy (the battle between the Olympian gods and giants). The east pediment has static figures in «hieratic stillness» being in awe of Apollo’s arrival at Delphi. Great classical poets and pilgrims praised the Alcmaeonids and the Athenians for the creation of the Panhellenic sanctuary for over a century.
The 373 BC earthquake destroyed the temple of the Alcmaeonids. The rockfall buried much of the construction including the statue of the Charioteer we can see in the museum today. The Amphictyony was busy fundraising for the temple’s construction throughout Greece, but most of the funds came from the fine imposed on the Phocians for looting the sanctuary during the ten-year Third Sacred War. A recorded testimony of plans, financial management, and technical methods of the site’s construction is left in the inscriptions on the stone stelae found during the excavations.
The third temple of Apollo
The third, peripheral Doric temple opened in 330 BC. It had beautiful sculptural decorations set on the pediments that depicted the god Apollo and the Muses on the east side and Dionysus and the Thyiads (or Maenads) on the west side. Persian shields, taken by the Athenians at the Battle of Marathon, were nailed to the metopes.
Archeological excavations didn’t reveal much about the temple’s interior space as it was destroyed to the ground. It’s assumed that the gilded statue of Apollo stood in the cella. There were wall engravings, and the oracular tripod and the navel-stone would be found under the cella’s floor.
The Apollo Sanctuary model presented at the Delphi museum
In recent years, the systematic re-examination of several sculptures that had been neglected in the museum storeroom led to their identification. They were the statues of the two pediments which were previously believed to have been carried off by the Roman emperors. This discovery confirmed the description of the pediments given by Pausanias, who had seen the sculptures in situ in the 2nd century AD and provided us with the picture of two compositions shown in fragments in this display.
Art of the Athenian artists lacks the majesty and strength of the Archaic pediments of the earlier temple, but features many innovations in iconography. The depiction of the two gods on the same monument and the unique representation of Dionysus as a kithara player. Apollo, the principal deity of the sanctuary concedes the west pediment of his temple and lends his favorite musical instrument, the kithara, to his brother, Dionysus. It appears that this relates to the official recognition of Dionysian worship at the Delphic sanctuary with the support of the temple priests at the time of the pediments’ construction in 340-330 BC. (*taken from the description inside the museum).
The temple of Apollo with the Serpentine column, Delphi, GreeceThe temple of Apollo and stoa of the Athenians, reconstruction, DelphiThis is a white-ground kylix found in a tomb in Delphi and displayed in the archeological museum. Kylix is a cup with a shallow bowl and a tall stem crafted in ancient Greece.
Created by the unknown vase-painter, the artist crowned Apollo with a wreath of myrtle leaves. The god sits on a fancy stool with legs in the shape of lion paws. Apollo wears a white peplos and red himation draped over his left shoulder. He plays the lyre with his left hand and offers libation with his right one, pouring wine. A black bird (a crow) accompanies Apollo, who recalls his mythical love for the beautiful Aigle-Koroni, the daughter of King Phlegyas. 480-470 BC.
I took this picture in the late afternoon in April, showing the Serpentine column and ruins of the Temple of Apollo. You can see the breathtaking view of the ruins and mountains.
Agora
Agora is a paved rectangular square with 3 stoas reserved for social interaction and commercial meetings that occurred in late antiquity around the 4th century AD. There is only one out of three stoas preserved today. It had shops where visitors purchased their souvenirs and votives. Five small entrances led to the sanctuary of Apollo. The main entrance of the Sacred Way with the Pythian Games’ processions was the place for the Roman Agora in later times.
The Stoa of the Athenians
Stoa with the rear wall. A stoa is a portico consisting of a back wall, a colonnade in front, and a roof (not existing today). The Stoa of the Athenians at Delphi incorporated the pre-existing Polygonal Wall dating back to 560 B.C. It had seven marble columns with just 4 existing today.
Built between 510- 470 B.C., the stoa of the Athenians was a building in the Ionic style that waslocated at the center of the Apollo sanctuary. Measuring 30 meters long, Stoa housed the trophies from the Athenians’ naval victories. The facade had seven monolithic marble columns (four of which survive) supporting a wooden roof. The Stoa was supported by the polygonal retaining wall of the Temple of Apollo in its back.
The carved inscription, "ΑΘΗΝΑΙΟΙ ΑΝΕΘΕΣΑΝ ΤΕΝ ΣΤΟΑΝ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΗΟΠΛΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΑΚΡΟΤΕΡΙΑ ΕΛΟΝΤΕΣ ΤΟΝ ΠΟΛΕΜΙΟΝ", notes that the Athenians dedicated the stoa, the ropes from the boats and the prow figureheads to the god after defeating the Persians. The building appears to have been constructed with public funds to promote Athens' leading role in the victory against the Persians at the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delphi.
I think it’s really interesting to see how the ancient Greeks constructed their buildings. In some cases, it looks like they repurposed much older structures, construction materials, and methods of holding the stones together in their architecture.
The polygonal wall: The well-preserved polygonal retaining wall of the Temple of Apollo was built in the 6th century B.C. It provided support to the terrace with a temple for centuries. The construction blocks and their perfectly fitted curved joins are a construction that features precision and artistic perfection. Many carvings with about 800 inscriptions stretch across the entire length of the wall.
The Sanctuary of Athena
In the Sanctuary of Athena, the goddess was worshipped as the patroness of wisdom, fertility, and health. The eastern part of the precinct retains two porous stone foundations of the Archaic temples dedicated to Athena. These Doric-style temples date to the mid-7th century B.C. and to 500 B.C. respectively. The second temple had a surrounding colonnade consisting of six columns on its narrow sides and twelve columns on its long sides. Its interior consisted of two chambers, the pronaos (porch) and the cella. The cella would have had the cult statue of Athena inside it at that time. The earthquake destroyed this temple in 480 B.C.
The third temple of Athena was made of a local grey limestone in the mid-4th century B.C. in the western part of the precinct. The façade displayed six Doric columns. The opening between the pronaos and cella had two ionic columns. This temple didn’t have a surrounding colonnade.
The winged goddess, Nike was the symbol of victory who expressed the will of the gods in Greek myths. She named and rewarded the winners. Many Nikes were found at the sanctuary in Delphi coming from public buildings.
We can also find some meager remains of the two other buildings built around 500 B.C., located east of the temple. They are attributed to the precinct of the local hero Phylakos (Phylacus). According to Herodotus, the two heroes, Phylakos and Autonoos, defeated the Persians in 480 BC by hurling stones down on them.
The Treasuries
Beyond the Sacred Way monuments you can find the ruins of over 20 treasuries in which gifts to the shrine were displayed. They had various architecture, offerings and dedication. Unfortunately, not much is left but the stones of some foundations. However, the Doric temple Treasury of the Athenians is reconstructed to view.
The Siphnian Treasury drawing is shown inside the Museum of Delphi.
Created in the Ionic order, the treasury was the first one built out of marble completely around 530 BC. It consisted of 3 types of marble – Siphnian, Naxian, and Parian. This treasury had rich sculptural decorations, some depicting scenes from the Trojan War. It was painted in bright colors of blue, red, gold, and green.
The pediment over the façade of the treasury depicted Zeus attempting to prevent Hercules from stealing the Delphi tripod. The marble roof had sculptures and gutters depicting the lion’s heads. The pediment also had sculptures of Nikes and a sphinx.
Siphnian treasury north and south friezes exhibited at the Delphi museum.
There are two, small treasuries present among the non-religious structures in the precinct of Athena Pronaia. These treasuries were dedicated sanctuaries. One Doric-style treasury dates back to the 5th century B.C. The second one is called the Treasury of the Massaliots. (Greek colonists of Massalia, modern Marseilles, who came from Phocaea in Ionia). Built around 530 B.C., it looked like a small temple. The ionic order treasury consisted of gleaming Parian marble with two columns in its façade. The columns had the Aeolic capitals.
Delphes. Voie sacrée et Trésor des Athéniens; Frédéric Boissonnas (Swiss, 1858 – 1946); 1910; Heliogravure / Photolithograph; 14.4 × 22 cm (5 11/16 × 8 11/16 in.);JP Getty Art Collection.
View of a sacred pathway in Delphi. The path faces the Treasury of the Athenians.
Reconstructed Treasury of the Athenians. The sacred pathway faces the Treasury of the Athenians – a stone building with two fluted Doric columns. Made of Parian marble, the Athenian Treasury looks like a mini-temple that was built to keep the Athenian offerings to the Delphic oracle. The Doric frieze shows 30 metopes. The roof was made of marble painted in red. The Athenians built the Treasury after 490 B.C. to thank the god Apollo for their victory at the battle of Marathon. The sides have depictions of scenes from the life of Hercules and Theseus. There are many inscriptions inside this treasury related to the rituals dated from the 3rd century BC. The most important inscription is a hymn to Apollo displayed in the Museum of Delphi: “The Athenians to Apollo from the Medes at the battle of Marathon”.The metopes of the Athenian treasury, Delphi museum
We can find the stelae foundations left in front of the two treasuries. Their inscriptions recorded confiscations and debts to the sanctuary. In addition, Greeks placed a single pedestal with the Delphic trophy that marked the expulsion of the Persians in 480 B.C.
To the North of the Treasury of the Siphnians stand the remains of the Treasury of the Megarians, dated to the end of the 6th century B.C. The building had several reconstructions and some have over 40 inscriptions, referring to the Megarians, dating to the 5th century B.C. The foundations and the wall with the inscriptions were restored in 1976.
The Sicyonian Treasury got built in the 6th century B.C in 3 phases, replacing two older monuments. It was dedicated to the victorious presence the tyrant of Sicyon Cleisthenes in the First Sacred War. It’s believed that one of the buildings contained the chariot with which Cleisthenes won the chariot race in the first Pythian Games of 582 BC.
The Theban Treasury was created of limestone in the Doric style. Situated on the Sacred Way in the Sanctuary of Apollo, it was dedicated to the Thebans’ victory at Leuktra in 371 B.C. This was a rectangular building (12.29 x 7.21 meters). The local limestone of St. Elias was dark grey with some bluish shades that made it look plain, especially in comparison to the Treasury of the Siphnians. The architect made a lot of effort to design a very stable structure, decorated with a frieze, metopes, and triglyphs in white marble. It probably had no columns but doors and a window illuminating the cella.
The Cyrenaean Treasury or the Treasury of the Cyreneans was probably the last treasury built in the sanctuary of Apollo. Dating back to 334-322 B.C., the Doric-style building was made of Pentelic and Parian marble. The roof was made of marble as well with gargoyles in tubular and leonine forms. The engraved inscription suggests that it was an offering as a reward for the wheat they had offered during a famine. The eastern edge of the precinct contains the remains of various altars, dating back to the 6th century B.C. Their inscriptions hold the names of the Gods to whom they were dedicated, including Zeus, Athena Ergane, Athena Zosteria, Eileithyia, and Hygiea.
The Theatre & The Pythian Stadium
The theatre is considered the best-preserved monument in Delphi and in Greece. The Delphic theatre hosted musical and religious festivals, oracular rituals, and the Pythian Games dedicated to the victory of Apollo over the Python. The stadium was built around 450 BC where the Pythian Games began as musical contests. The ruins of the theatre and stadium have been excavated together.
The stadium that hosted the games is partially built into the side of Mount Parnassus. The original architectural finish of the theatre is unknown. It’s speculated that the spectators sat on wooden seats or the ground. The first theatre was made of stone in the 4th century BC.
The restoration took place around 160 B.C. with the funds of Eumenes II, king of Pergamon. The theatre’s present shape dates back to the early Roman period (1st century AD). The stones used for its construction came from the Mount Parnassos. The deep amphitheatrical shape had a seating capacity of 5,000 people. It was divided into two sections by a transverse corridor comprising 35 rows of seats.
The backstage flanked by two wings faced the seats and orchestra. There is only a foundation of this setup left today. Its facade, proscenium, or the part of a theatre stage in front of the curtain, was embellished with a relief frieze. The frieze depicted the labors of Herakles, now exhibited in the Archaeological Museum of Delphi. The frieze was probably added during the restoration period of 67 AD, at the time of the Roman emperor Nero’s visit to Delphi. Parts of the theatre walls have embedded inscriptions regarding the emancipation of slaves.
The Pythian Games were a series of athletic and musical competitions held every 4 years in ancient Greece to honor the god Apollo’s victory. The name ‘Pythian Games’ comes from the myth of Apollo slaying the Python in Delphi.
The games were one of the four Panhellenic Games, along with the Olympic, Nemean, and Isthmian Games. The Pythian games originated in the 6th century B.C. and continued until the 4th century AD. The Pythian games featured competitions in a variety of events, including athletics, music, poetry, chariot races, declamation, reading aloud, rhetoric, singing, and drama. This event was more than just a game. It was a big social and musical event with international crowds, diplomats, and politicians showing their power. The winners of the athletic games brought fame to themselves and their cities. They also received trophies in the shape of tripods and laurel leaves.
Built around the 4th century BC, the stadium of Delphi was about 178 meters long, situated at the highest spot in the sanctuary above the theatre. According to some inscriptions, it was called the “pythikon stadium” or the Pythian stadium. The total capacity of the stadium was about 6500 people. The stadium was abandoned in 394 A.D. Covered with earth, it became a place for pasture.
The Stadium of Delphi is the best-preserved stadium in Greece. It had 4 different constructions with tracks for athletes to compete. In the Roman period, they raised the track but reduced its length. The northern side of the stadium preserved 12 rows of seats divided by staircases in 12 tiers. The eastern side has a well-preserved start line, with two rows of slabs bearing incisions for the feet.
The gymnasium
The word ‘gymnasium’ came from the Greek word gymnós, meaning “nude”.
Dated to the 4th century BC, the Gymnasium of Delphi is nestled between the Castalia fountain and the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia. It consisted of several buildings including baths and restaurants. The running track (paradromis) was 6 meters wide and 172 meters long. The upper terrace had a long portico of 83 Doric columns used for athletics (xystos), which measured 9,05 x 185,95 m, the length of a Pythic stadium. Sand covered the floor for athletes to exercise. The lower terrace had the Palaestra ( ancient Greek wrestling school) and a pool with a sanctuary.
Monuments of the Sacred Way
The Sacred Way in Delphi was a short road that led up to the temple of Apollo. The stone paving slabs covering the Sacred Way belong to late antiquity. Lined up with incredible monuments, sculptures, and treasuries on both sides, this road represented the wins in ancient Greek history as the Greeks and the wealthy made these offerings to the gods. As such, Delphi was an important art center because skillful art and sculpture were created by famous Greek artists and offered as votives to the gods. Unfortunately, only the bases of these incredible monuments exist today. However, they have so many inscriptions there that the Delphic sanctuary is probably the largest open-air library of real ancient texts in existence now.
The serpentine column was the closest to the altar standing next to a bronze sculpture of Apollo (now missing).
One of the famous votives originally placed near the Temple of Apollo was a bronze bull (now missing) with a stone base existing today. Presented by the Corcyrans, this sculpture was made by Theopropos in the 5th century BC.
The votive of the Arcadians consisted of 9 bronze statues including Apollo. The Arcadians dedicated it to Apollo after they plundered Laconia in 370 BC. Only the base exists today.
There were two different votives of the city of Argos, one glorified their victory over the Spartans in 457 BC.
1. The stoa of King Attalus I. Dated to late 3rd century BC, this is probably a 2-storey stoa of Attalus with 10 Doric columns decorating the facades of each floor. The stoa was converted into a cistern for baths’ water supply in the 4th century AD. The Altar of the Chiots. The people of Chiots paid for this monument in the 5th century BC. There is an inscription on the base of the altar stating that the Chios had the right to consult the oracle before other Greeks. 2. Aemillus Paulus statue on a pedestal. This is the equestrian statue of the Roman consul who defeated the king of Macedon Perseus at Pydna in 168 BC. The statue stood on a 12-meter base and the pedestal’s frieze depicted the battle scenes from the battle of Pydna. This is considered the first historical relief, in which the Romans defeated the last Greek Macedonian king. The frieze is on view at the Museum of Delphi. 3. The Sun God statue on a pedestal. Located behind the Serpentine column as a foundation only today, the pedestal supported a gilded chariot of the Sun God, Ilios, patron of the island of Rhodes. This monument became the votive of the Rhodians in the late 4th century AD.
4. The Tripod of the Plataeans or the Serpentine Column. All 31 states of Greece contributed to the creation and installment of this votive monument in Delphi. The Delphi tripod was an offering to the god Apollo from the Greeks who won over the Persian Empire at the Battle of Plataea in 479 BC. The Greeks collected the spoils of their victory and dedicated 1/10 of it to cover the cost of making the golden tripod with caldron. The golden tripod was set on a 7.5m tall, bronze column with a 3-headed serpent. The Phocians melted down the gold from the tripod during the Third Sacred War (354-343 BC), while Constantine the Great transferred the serpentine column to Constantinople, founded in 330 AD. It still stands in the Hippodrome area in Istanbul, Turkey.
* These museum descriptions are adapted to English for a better reading experience.
The Serpentine Column
The Serpent Column or Plataean Tripod standing in Delphi today is a copy of the original taken from the sanctuary by Constantine the Great and placed in the Hippodrome of Constantinople in 324 BC (Istanbul) where you’ll find it today. The serpentine column consisted of an inscribed base with 13 coils (inscribed 31 Greek states who fought with the Persians), three bronze intertwined snakes, and a golden tripod with a cauldron (long missing). Based on some Ottoman illustrations, the serpent heads existed at the top of the column until the 17th century.At Meydani square, Hippodrome of Constantinople, Serpent Column, Obelisk of Theodosius-Aubry de la Mottraye, Constantinople, 1727. Image from wikimediacommonsGriffin heads that often decorated the caldrons, Delphi archeological museum
The offering consisted of nine statues placed on a long, narrow base. This sculptural group is one of the most important offerings made by a private person to the Delphic sanctuary of Apollo. According to the inscription on its base, the offering was commissioned by Daochos II of Pharsala, tetrarch of Thessaly and hieromnemon (Sacred Recorder) of the Delphic Amphictyony, 339-334 BC. At the right end stood a statue of Apollo. Next to the god stood six statues of Daochos’s ancestors starting with the genarch Aknonios, who presents his family to the god as follows: Agias, Telemachos, Agelaos, Daochos I, Sisyphos I, Daochos II himself, and his son, Sisyphos II.
The inscription mentions the names and most important accomplishments of the family members. The statue of Agias (top center), great-grandfather of Daochos II a renowned athlete of the pankration in the 5th century BC. He was a repeat winner in all of the Panhellenic games. This group is attributed to the famed sculptor Lysippos or his school. * Taken from writing inside the Museum of Delphi.
The giant Naxian Sphinx
The Naxian Sphinx figure, DelphiThe Giant Naxian Sphinx in Delphi: The Naxian Sphinx was created around 560 BC, preceding the construction of the Siphnian treasury – a building at the Ancient Greek cult center of Delphi, in which the priests hosted the offerings from the city of Siphnos. The building stood on the “Sacred Way” road going through the Sanctuary of Apollo.
Naxos, a wealthy island of the Cyclades, sent a gigantic offering to the Sanctuary of Apollo of Delphi – the statue of the mythical Sphinx. Its colossal size, imposing appearance, and location in the sanctuary (near the rock of Sibyl commemorated the political and artistic supremacy of Naxos in the Archaic era.
This demonic creature with a female face and enigmatic smile was supposed to be warding off the evil. Placed on the capital of a 12.50m tall ionic column, the sphinx became the oldest element in the ionic order in Delphi.
Greek Kouros
Kleobis and Biton, sons of Hera’s priestess, Greek Kouros in Delphi, Archaic period, 610 BC, height: 1,97 m, Parian marble. Discovered at the Apollo sanctuary, they were made by the sculptor Polymedes of Argos and dedicated to Apollo by the people of Argos. According to the museum’s description, Herodotus tells us a myth about two brothers, Kleobis and Biton. They helped their mother, Hera, to pull her chariot to the sanctuary and as a reward, the goddess granted them a peaceful death in their sleep.
The Charioteer
The Charioteer, bronze sculpture, Classical period, 478 BC, 1,82m in height.
This well-preserved monument was part of the votive offering received after the Pythian Games. Wearing a chiton, the figure stood on his chariot with horses. He has the eyes inlaid with glass and stones. The figure is reminiscent of a Doric column repeating long and simple lines in his clothing. His beautiful feet and slender figure make me think of a female form although his hair is short and a simple band around his head speaks of his victorious status.
Horseshoe-shaped monument
This monument had over 18 marble sculptures dating to the 3rd century BC. One of the statues shows “the Delphi Philosopher.”
The Lesche of the Knidians
Lesches were places for public gatherings in antiquity. Located not far from the Theatre, the lesche looked like a rectangular hypostyle chamber built around 5 century BC. (Hypostyle is a building with a roof supported by pillars in many rows).
It became famous because of the paintings depicting the Fall of Troy and the Odysseus Descent to Hades done by a famous artist- Polygnotus.
The column with the dancers
Column with 3 dancers and the omphalos stone (right) in Delphi. Classical period, 330 BC, Pentelic marble.
Decorated with the acanthus leaves, this base supported an 11m column with 3 dancers at its top. It’s speculated that the omphalos stone crowned the column with dancers. Their height exceeds 2m, while originally the column was around 11m high.
The Statue of Antinoos
Antinoos, closeup, Parian marble, Roman period, 130 AD, Delphi.Antinoos, Parian marble, Roman period, 130 AD, Delphi.
Antinoos was a very young and beautiful man who was a companion of Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD). Antinoos had barely reached adulthood when he drowned in the Nile. The Emperor was devastated and ordered to make a lot of statues and monuments dedicated to the man for god-like worship, rituals, and admiration in his honor. One such sculpture was found in Delphi during the excavations. The statue was still shining because of oil used in antiquity to polish the skin. The holes in his hair served as attachments for a bronze laurel leaf wreath to crown the boy’s head. Both the presidents of the Pythian games and the priest placed this statue in the sanctuary. http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/4/eh430.jsp?obj_id=4672
I took this picture at the Archeological Museum in Delphi. It looks like a demonic sphinx figure, although it could be a gorgon.The golden griffin is on display in the Delphi museum.The Helmet Crest with a copper inlay, bronze, 5th century BCE, the Delphi MuseumThese are some of the votive offerings found in the Sacred Way area pit near the Athenian Treasury. These bronze heads are parts of three life-sized chryselephantine statues dating to the 6th century BC!Bronze incense burner: A young woman, wearing a long peplos and reticulated head-dress, holds up a hemispherical cauldron in which the incense was placed. A pierced lid covers the top of the vessel. 460-450 BC.
There are four monuments dated from classical antiquity: Lysander, Marathon, Argos and Tarantinians. Those were the monuments that pilgrims faced entering the temple of Apollo from the main entrance. A school and a small village occupied the site of the sanctuary after the 15th century AD.
The votive of Lysander or the Spartan Admirals’ votive
The Spartans created this votive in 404 B.C., dedicating it to their victory over the Athenians in the battle at Aegos Potamoi (405 B.C.). The recording of this monument exists thanks to Pausanias and Plutarch. According to the architect Didier Laroche’s study, the votive had the form of a rectangular pedestal with 39 bronze statues. The erection of the monument is connected with the rise of the hegemony of Sparta and the decadence of Athenian democracy. Facing the Sacred Way, the front side of this monument depicted Greek military figures and gods- Dioskouri, Zeus, Apollo, Artemis, Lysander (the winner of the battleship), Ermonas (the commander of the flagship), Agias, etc. The statues located on three other sides depicted the admirals of the allied fleet, who defeated the Athenians with Lysander.
The votive of Marathon
This monument was placed on the south side of the Lysander’s monument after the Marathon battle. The votive is dated around 490 B.C. According to Pausanias, one-tenth of the spoils of the battle were used for its construction. The 15m-long, rectangular pedestal held 13 bronze statues that included the sculptures of Athena, Apollo, the general Miltiades, and ten eponymous heroes, who according to the oracle of Delphi, gave their names to the Athenian tribes. The statues are attributed to the renowned sculptor of classical antiquity, Phidias. Three more statues of the Great Alexander’s successors were added during the Hellenistic period.
The Trojan horse
After their victory against the Spartans in 414 B.C., Argos dedicated a bronze simulacrum of the Trojan Horse to commemorate their prominent victory. According to Pausanias’s description, it was a work of Antiphanes from Argos. Today, only the stone plinths of the horse’s tiered pedestal and its fastening hole on the surface of one stone are preserved.
The votive of Tarantinias
The votive depicted bronze horses and women in captivity. Dedicated to Apollo, this votive comes from the residents of Tarans. They commemorated their victory over the Messapii at the beginning of the 5th century B.C. According to Pausanias, Ageladas, who descended from Argos, created this piece. In the partially preserved pedestal, the inscription states “Taραντίνοι Ἀπόλλωνι από Μεσσαπίων [ελόντε)ς δεκάταν” “The Tarantians dedicated this to Apollo from the tenth of the spoils they seized from the Messaplans”.
Imagining Black Diasporas: 21st-Century Art and Poetics finds aesthetic connections among 60 artists working in Africa, Europe, and the Americas. The exhibition and its catalogue are among the first to examine nearly a quarter century of production by Black artists. The project debuts new acquisitions for LACMA and expands the Pan-African exhibition canon, historically focused on the Black Atlantic, by showcasing artists working along the Pacific Rim.
Nearly 70 works of painting, sculpture, photography, works on paper, and time-based media are organized into four themes: speech and silence, movement and transformation, imagination, and representation. Contemporary poets contributed original work to the catalogue, extending the historical use of poetry in Pan-African discourse. Diaspora’s general definition as a displacement from origins excludes all the creativity the term entails. People reinvent their heritage through artistic expressions, transforming diaspora from regional movement into a wellspring of imagination. Through an analysis of Black artists’ aesthetic choices, Imagining Black Diasporas reveals their insights about existence.
Guests will have an opportunity to participate during the conversation’s question and answer period via Zoom’s Q&A function.
In this article you’ll find reviews of art materials I use a lot in my painting and drawing practice. These art supplies make a big difference in the final result of my art presentation.
5 art tools for oil painting & drawing to keep in your studio:
#1 The color shaper set
These are great tools for oil painting, pastel painting, and even colored pencil work (if you work on the Icarus board to blend the wax-based pencils).
1. When I paint, they help me clean a sloppy edge. And that’s how I use them for the most part. 2. It’s easy to take the extra paint off the area I put in by accident. 3. I can “carve into” the freshly applied paint to make a specific pattern or texture. 4. I can create an entire underpainting by applying the brown paint first and then lifting out some of the paint with the color shaper creating a drawing!
Made of silicone, the shapers have the unique property of not absorbing the paint. Rather the paint comes off their tips easily and doesn’t need washing. Just wipe the color shaper off with a paper towel. Besides moving the paint around, removing or carving into it, the color shapers are great for blending the oil pastels or wax-based colored pencils (Prismacolor Premier) when heated, using the Icarus Art board. The color shaper set has several tips that you can buy separately or as a complete set. I find that I mainly use the taper point (round tip) size #2 in my art.
This is a truly unique product that I love! I especially use it when I paint since the lotion provides relief from a very dry skin, making a protective layer between the skin and the chemicals. A modest amount of lotion works like gloves I use while painting. Its unique formula bonds with the upper layer of my skin and creates the invisible protection from harmful chemicals. It’s waterproof and doesn’t wash off, rather it comes off naturally shredding the dead skin cells. The bottle comes in two sizes. Give it a try!
Swiss-made, Luminance colored pencils is the Cadillac of professional colored pencils. All colors have supreme lightfastness rating. They’re very durable, highly pigmented and have the softness I love. The price tag is very high. Please don’t be tempted to buy them in strange places because they could be the fakes. Buy these from the established art supply companies only like the jerrysartarama. You can buy them in sets or as open stock.
#4 Professional panels for oil and acrylic painting
These are durable, archival, and acid-free surfaces that are great for oil painting. Remember, paintings of the old masters have survived through the centuries because they were painted on panels, not canvases. If you paint professionally and want your art to last, paint on panels.
The cradled gessobords provide much greater support against humidity as the panels resist warping. Gessobords have a very slightly textured surface making them perfect for oil painting because the oil paint needs some tooth to adhere to to create a permanent bond with the surface. Avoid using panels that are too smooth or cheap canvases because the paint doesn’t adhere to the surface properly. I also use gessobords for my silver gilding. I do sand the surface some with a 800 grit sandpaper but the silver leaf goes over the panel perfectly. The toned, neutral gray surface of Richeson panels is great for beginning painting without any additional preliminary work, but I find their surfaces too smooth and thus questionable if the paint makes a bond with its surface. One disadvantage of painting on these panels (gessobords) is the damaged corners. They often arrive chipped in shipping and although art supply companies do replace the damaged stuff, it’s still a big inconvenience, in my opinion.
#5Grumbacher final fixative for drawings and scratchboard art
This is a really great product that’s different from cheaper brands. It makes a very nice, even sheen, eliminating the surface’s unevenness, fingerprints, and other imperfections in scratchboard. The colors look nice and bright. It works great on paper, too. I use 2-3 coats on my colored pencil drawings. Like other sprays, the final fixative protects your artwork from the UV-rays, moisture, smudges, and humidity. The only downside is its smell. It’s not a product to inhale. So spray it in a well-ventilated area or outside in low humidity environment.
Don’ confuse the fixatives with the varnishes as the varnishes are used in oil and acrylic painting.
Art Lessons in Drawing, Painting & Beyond, 2014 | This is an art inspiration book filled with creative and technical advice coming from contemporary realist artists. Realist artists share their painting and drawing inspiration in the Art Lessons book available in print, on Kindle and as a digital download (pdf file) from: https://veronicasart.com/product-category/art-instruction-books/
These art instruction books are on sale on Amazon!
The artist’s style defines the creator in the eyes of art collectors, curators, artists and any art enthusiasts. The artist’s name becomes the brand name. In this episode, I share my thoughts on happiness, creativity and how to find your unique voice or art style. These are my ideas that you can explore further in your art and life.
Art + Tech Lab: Substrate AR Demonstration and Viewing with Nancy Baker Cahill
jascencio
Wed, 04/23/2025 – 14:48
Art + Technology Lab grant recipient Nancy Baker Cahill will discuss her work Substrate, a monumental AR experience that invites the viewer to consider connections between knowledge-making organizations. Join Baker Cahill for a demonstration and viewing of Substrate from the balcony of LACMA’s BCAM building, where you can contribute your own descriptions of culturally significant artifacts to the artwork.
All education and outreach programs at LACMA are underwritten by the LACMA Education Fund and are supported in part by the Judy and Bernard Briskin Family Foundation, The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation, the William Randolph Hearst Endowment Fund for Arts Education, Alfred E. Mann Charities, The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, Gloria Ricci Lothrop, the Flora L. Thornton Foundation, U.S. Bank, and The Yabuki Family Foundation.
