Deus ex machina


We are still at the Altes Museum. Today's work is entitled Medea Sarcophagus. It was found near Porta San Lorenzo in Rome and dates back to around 140 - 150 AD. Here is more about the piece:

The relief shows four scenes from the Medea myth following the homonymous tragedy by the Athenian poet Euripides. Topics from Greek mythology were a popular motif in Rome for sarcophagus reliefs, especially when the depicted, as is the case here, wedding and death, happiness and sorrow of life.

16 comments:

  1. It looks so easy and is so difficult. Very nice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beautiful relief. Have a nice weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  3. A beautiful piece, and there is a lot to see!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The highlights of a life well lived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The funny thing is, Medea did not actually have a very happy life. She was married to Jason (of Jason and the golden fleece) and he went off with another girl. In revenge, Medea murdered her children and left. Not exactly what I would think makes a good memory for the afterlife. But whatever floats your boat!

      Delete
  5. I'm amazed by the age - it's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I remember the impression our visit here a few years ago made on us. Thanks for the link to the museum website. I clicked on the location to refresh my memory and remember the Lustgarten and Staatsoper. We heard a strange and delightful production of Cosi Fan Tutti at the opera.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Amazing, and such detailed expressions on all of the various faces.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Wonderful! Look at the flowing curves!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I was fascinated to see the Elgin Marbles at the British Museum and have read a bit about the controversy about where they really belong. Is there any thing similar with these marvels you've been showing us? (Controversy or not I was glad the ones I saw were in London, because ...well, selfishly, I was there and not in Greece.)

    ReplyDelete
  10. An impressive and wonderful work!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog. I love hearing from you!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...