‘Know Yourself’ — Rome — depicting a human skeleton reclined and pointing at the motto of the Delphi Oracle Gnothi sauton, “know yourself”… advice to know the limits of us.Rome — Mithras seizing the bull by the nostrils and thrusting a knife, a dog hampered by a snake, and a scorpion chopping off the bull’s testicles.Rome — Mithras was a Persian deity, name meaning ‘contract, friendship’ and was worshiped as a solar guarantor of social stability and royal power. Born out of stone, armed with a knife, a torch, and a Phrygian bonnet; faced and defeated the Sun, then gained a crown… killing the bull is part of representing the vital cycles… dawn and sunset, sun and moon. In the Roman world, Mithraism appeared around 1st C. AD, differing from the Persian, and was generally reserved for males and military.Statue of Hercules, 1265, Musei Capitolini, RomaHercules as the slayer of the Hydra of Lerna, 2nd C. AD, after Greek work from 4th C. BC.Ercole e Lica (1795-1815) — Hercules and Lica, by Antonio Canova; and in the background, Spogliad’oro su spine d’accacia, by Giuseppe Penone, at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, RomeErcole e l’idradi Lerna – Hercules and the Lernaean Hydra, c. 1490Diana, 1845 by Ercole Dante — at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art, RomeStatua di Marsia (Statue of Marsyas), Musei Capitolini, Roma — condemned to be flayed alive, thus the violet-veined marble… tortured body, after challenging Apollo to a musical contest.Vulcano (Vulcan), 1611, by Chiarissimo d’Antonio Fancelli, in Florence — Vulcan, Venus’ husband, fire of love, as an old man with a thick beard and as a smith (anvil and hammer) Athena, 2nd CenturyMusa – seated, 2nd Century, in lyre in the figure’s hands is a late 18th century addition identifying her Erato, Muse of lyric and erotic poetry.Il trionfo di Diana-l’Inverno (Triumph of Diana-Winter), by Francesco Albani — Gallerie Borghese, RomaVenere e Adone-l’Autunno (Venus and Adonis-Autumn)Venere nella fucina di Vulcano-l’Estate (Venus in Vulcan’s Forge-Summer)Toletta di Venere-la Primavera (Toilet of Venus-Spring)Appollo and Daphne… Apollo going after Daphne — Gallerie Borghese, RomaThis is on the ceiling above the Appollo & Daphne sculpture, it is their story… Cupid shooting a golden arrow at Apollo, making him fall in love with Daphne, and a silver arrow at Daphne making her despise Apollo; so, she asks her father to turn her into a tree so that Apollo would stop pursuing her. Cupid chose to do this in revenge for Apollo making fun of him.OceanoStatue of Athena, ~1st C. BC – simplified and smaller than the Athena Parthenos from the 5th C. BC.AphroditeAphrodite, 1st C. BC, a variant of the bronze sculpture from 3rd C. BC.Statue of Ares, deity of war, holding a sword, and near his feet is a little Eros playing between the shield and the helmet… a reference to Ares’ relationship with Aphrodite.Statue of Osiris, the Egyptian deity, ~2nd C. AD, associated with the eternal cycle of death and rebirth, which the snake wrapped around representsan Etruscan tomb, excavated in Rome — Etruscan Museum. A banquet is represented on the sides, the guests are grouped according to sex; there are also boxing matches, cart races, dances with weapons, discus throwing, and acrobatic horseback-riding.On the wall to the left, starting from far left: Lanciatore di Disco, Danzatore Armato, Danzatrice, Flautista, Servitori, and BanchettoNenfro Centaur, 590-580 BC, Etruscan Museum — protecting the tomb.Il Sacrofago degli Sposi, 530-520BC (Sacrophagus of the Spouses) — Etruscan Museum — a giant cinerary urn.painted ~520-510 BC — Etruscan Museum — depicting the first of the Twelve Labors of Herades (Hercules): the killing of the lion Nemean–a monstrous lion with impenetrable skin, living in the region of Argolis and torturing its people.Appollo, ~510-500 BC — Etruscan MuseumErcole, ~510-500 BC (Hercules) — Etruscan Museum — Hercules and Apollo (preceding image), depicting one of the Twelve Labors of Hercules: Hercules is wearing the skin of Nemean on his head, around the shoulders and with the forelegs fastened around the breast (Cypriot fashion), before his apotheosis in Olympus; he possesses the doe with the golden horns (by his feet), sacred to Diana. Mercury the messenger (not shown) is near to proclaim that Jupiter decides everything… Jupiter wanted to proclaim legitimacy of his power on the city (Olympus?) by representing Hercules’ victory over Apollo.~460 BC — Etruscan Museum — wings on figuresWallpaper at the Palazzo Barberini, Rome — the palace commissioned by Pope Urban VIII, born Maffeo Vincenzo Barberini, with bees on the coat of arms as symbols of hard workat the Palazzo Barberini, Rome — bees everywhere in the building
Other Art (modern mythologies?)
Through the Window, at Corrado Marchese, at Casa dell’Architettura, Roma (House of Architecture, Rome)Prophecy of Resilience and Persistence, 2022, by Naudline Pierre, at the Palazzo Bamberini, Rome
