Chapps
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chapps.bsky.social
Chapps
@chapps.bsky.social
3.8K followers 370 following 5.4K posts
Former tech drone, living in L.A. I now create digital reconstructions of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. No, really. 🏳️‍🌈

Flickr account (museum photos, mainly, free to use and high res): https://www.flickr.com/photos/125386285@N02/
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chapps.bsky.social
Yes, the ram was a favorite symbol of strength, among other attributes, in the Greek and Roman cultures (and Assyrian, et al). My favorite representation is probably a ram-headed rhyton - a drinking cup - like the one below.

Greek, from Apulia, Italy, ca. 370-350 BCE. 🏺

#BritishMuseum 📸 me
Apulian red-figured rhyton in the form of a ram's head. The design is red on a black ground, with white accessories. The ram's head is black, the horns left in the color of the clay and marked with red transverse lines; the cornea of the eye yellow with black spots, the pupil black. Round the lip, egg-moulding; on either side of the design, palmettes. The joke here is that when you drink, your face is hidden and you have instead the face of an animal. A good laugh at a symposium. On the drinking end, the bell, the youthful Dionysos is seated on a cushion to left, wearing a white fillet and wreath, and holding a thyrsos in his hand. At his further side is a cottabos-stand, to which is attached a white taenia (ribbon or fillet). Before him is a Satyr dancing - he wears a white fillet and a string of beads over his left shoulder.
January 17, 2026 at 1:33 AM
chapps.bsky.social
Here's a higher res version. Americans love to forget the 'melting pot' of our historical makeup. Growing up in San Francisco - which is a very tight, small city - I'd hear nearly a dozen languages in a day: Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Spanish, German, etc.
January 16, 2026 at 5:54 PM
chapps.bsky.social
They've got Classic Bieber hairstyles!
January 16, 2026 at 4:01 PM
chapps.bsky.social
This object is known as a prometopidion, horse forehead armor, as you can see from the shape of the entire object. The staring eyes of the warrior and the Gorgoneion on the nose are apotropaic - protective. Made in southern Italy (part of Magna Graecia). 🏺 2/

#GettyVilla 📸 me
Here revealed is the full prometopedion, which covered the full forehead and snout of a horse. The rams' head cheekpieces of the warrior's head flare out and provide extra protection for the eyes of the horse. The Gorgoneion - the head of a Gorgon or Medusa - is at the bottom of the snout, looking fierce with bared teeth and a set of fangs.
January 16, 2026 at 3:59 PM
chapps.bsky.social
The detail here is almost beyond belief, particularly when you know what this is. The image is of a warrior wearing a Chalcidian-type helmet with rams'-head cheekguards. Zoom in and see his mustache hairs. The eyes are ivory and amber.

Have you guessed its function? 🏺 1/

Greek, c. 480 BCE. 📸 me
Closeup of a bronze warrior's head in relief; the staring eyes are inlaid with ivory and amber, and the elaborate Chalcidian helmet he wears has cheek pieces in the form of rams' heads. The cheekpieces of the helmet are in the form of rams' heads, facing one another, as if they were about to butt. The warrior has little stylized curls on his helmet, and he's sporting a finely detailed mustache. The patina is wonderful - golden bronze overlaid with bright green patches.
January 16, 2026 at 3:59 PM
chapps.bsky.social
I dunno …
January 16, 2026 at 5:41 AM
chapps.bsky.social
Are we saying that they made ... carnyx luggate? (yes, I know what you mean, but we should all have a bit of fun, even if it's evil AI)
January 15, 2026 at 10:58 PM
chapps.bsky.social
Under Nero, the Iuventus gained prominence, becoming a favored body for elite young men, marked by Nero's own title Princeps Iuventutis (Head of the Youth) and special events like the Iuvenalia games, a blend of military training, social bonding, and cultic practice. 🏺 2/

#GettyVilla 📸 me
The same two busts in one photo, taken from a right angle. The older boy's bust is up on a plinth, higher than the younger boy. You can clearly see the outline where the acanthus used to be attached to the older boy's chest. The hair is very much like the style seen during the Neronian era, wavy and combed forward.
January 15, 2026 at 6:10 PM
chapps.bsky.social
Found in France, this rare set of two bronze portraits of male youths are wearing a hairstyle popular during the reign of Nero. In fact they may have been attendants in a youth organization called the Iuventus, held in special favor under that emperor. 🏺 1/

Gallo-Roman, ca. 60-70 CE.
📸 me
This bronze bust portrays a youth of about eight to ten years old. The neck is long, and the finely worked head bears characteristics of the Julio-Claudians. The brow is wide, the nose fine, the mouth delicate and the chin small. The front of the head is carefully articulated while the back is only summarily modeled. A smooth fringe of locks frames the forehead. Curls are swept in front of the ears. There is a calyx of acanthus leaves preserved on the front lower edge of the bust. The busts originally had long, separately made locks of hair, which were attached to the back of the heads, which was the clue that these may be attendants of the Iuventus. Gallo-Roman, ca. 60-70 CE. Getty Villa Museum (89.AB.67.1) This bust portrays a youth of about ten to twelve years old. Atop a long neck sits a delicate head, bearing the characteristics of the Julio-Claudians. The brow is wide, the nose fine, the mouth delicate and the chin small. The front of the head is carefully articulated while the back is only summarily modeled. A smooth fringe of locks frames the forehead. Curls are swept in front of the ears. Traces of discoloration around the lower edges of the bust suggest that it had an attachment, probably a calyx of leaves affixed with solder as on 89.AB.67.1. Gallo-Roman, ca. 60-70 CE. Getty Villa Museum (89.AB.67.2)
January 15, 2026 at 6:10 PM
chapps.bsky.social
But in your pic, that isn’t a bier. The figure would have to be lying prone on it, and you’d see that it was made of wood. Many near eastern rulers and n. African rulers are shown standing on lions and other big cats. Here, the panther represents the journey to the underworld.
January 12, 2026 at 2:56 PM
chapps.bsky.social
The delicious orange-red color of this #Mycenaean sealstone almost distracts from its incredible engraved bull-leaping scene. The bull is realistically rendered, but the body of the leaper is elongated, shown in motion as he lets go of the bull's horns and prepares to land. 🏺 1/

1630-1440 BCE. 📸 me
This lentoid (lens-shaped) semitransparent orange-red carnelian sealstone is the largest seal from the grave of the Griffin Warrior at Pylos. Small scratches on the surface suggest it had been used to make impressions. The bull is realistically rendered, but the body of the leaper is elongated. The leaper is shown in motion as he lets go of the bull's horns, sails over the back of the bull, and prepares to land. A groundline is represented by downward-facing triangles between two parallel lines. Rather than being centered along the vertical axis, the string hole runs diagonally from the upper left to the lower right. Mycenaean, 1630/10-1450/40 BCE. From Pylos, Grave of the Griffin Warrior. Chora Archaeological Museum, Greece (SN24-0011) ------ On display at the Getty Villa Museum in Pacific Palisades, California, for the exhibition 'The Kingdom of Pylos'.
January 11, 2026 at 11:53 PM
chapps.bsky.social
Well, the lion was a popular motif in ancient Mediterranean cultures (and throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa), so we have to look at what the object was used for. Sometimes objects look similar but have different functions. Another type of bier from Tut’s tomb is below. More info in ALT.
This funerary bier found in the tomb of Tutankhamun is in the form of the goddess Mehet-Weret, the cow goddess of the sky whose name means “great flood.”
January 11, 2026 at 3:38 PM
chapps.bsky.social
A bier is a table-like frame on which a coffin - or mummy - is placed (and sometimes transported on) before being entombed. Egyptian mummies were placed on lion-shaped biers, which protected their bodies from evil supernatural forces, as seen below. ALT text for more info.
This small blue-green faience model of an Egyptian funerary bier consists of two parts - a long base and bed with two lion's heads and lion's feet made of light blue glazed faience, and on it a mummy made of clay with a flat back and a front painted red and white. The feet of the mummy are missing. Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, Austria Faience model of a funerary bier with a mummy on top. This view is looking down on the top of the model, and we can clearly see the mummy with the headdress and the wrappings. Wooden Osiride recumbent figure of Tutankhamun on a bier with a lion’s head, paws, and tail. Wood, Gold Leaf Reign of Tutankhamun 1336-1326 BCE Grand Egyptian Museum #3150 (Previously JE 60720)
January 11, 2026 at 7:18 AM
chapps.bsky.social
This engraved Romano-Egyptian magical gem (green jasper) depicts the Egyptian god and psychopomp Anubis holding an ointment jar and standing over a lion-shaped bier. The mummified body of Osiris lies on top. 💀🏺 #ancientbluesky 1/

100-125 CE. #GettyVilla
📸 me
Oval green jasper gemstone with an engraved scene of the jackal-headed god Anubis standing behind a funerary bier, which is shaped like a striding lion. Anubis holds an ointment jar over the mummified body of his father, Anubis, who is fully wrapped in bandages.
January 11, 2026 at 1:28 AM
chapps.bsky.social
Dionysos has gone California blonde! 🏄‍♂️ Part of a rhyton (drinking horn), he's shown seated and holding a keras (horn) with strangely headless gods. The rim must have broken and been shaved down in antiquity. The yellow hair probably mimics gilded statues of the god. 🏺 1/

Greek, 500-490 BCE. 📸 me
Red-figure terracotta rhyton (drinking cup) supported in the lap of a blonde Dionysos. The scene on the bell of the drinking horn has been cut off by about a third - probably damaged in antiquity then cut off evenly in order to continue its use. The figures on the bell include Hermes (his name roughly inscribed, Έ]ρμής) holding a caduceus; Aphrodite in a long chiton, holding a tiny black swan; Apollo, playing a large kithara (his name inscribed, AΠOΛΛON, Άπόλλων); and, lastly, Artemis, playing on castanets (her name also inscribed, Αρ]τεμις). The cup is one-handled and in the form of a keras, a horn, supported on the knees of a blonde-bearded man in a long-sleeved chiton, himation, and shoes, and seated on a diphros (a folding stool without back and with four turned legs) covered with a panther-skin, a symbol of Dionysos. The figure of the man is painted in various colors, now more or less faded, direct on the clay. The flesh has been vermilion; the eyes white with black outline, the eyeball black, with perhaps a white ring around the pupil; the beard is modelled, with wavy black lines on the clay; the chiton purple, the himation sea-green, and shoes white, with details in fine black lines. Greek, made in Attica, probably Athens, about 500-490 BCE. Found in Capua, Campania. Height: 24.13 cm (9.5 in.) British Museum, London (1873,0820.267)
January 10, 2026 at 7:48 PM
chapps.bsky.social
In the Roman period, Sleeping Eros statues decorated villa gardens, fountains, and tombs. In the latter use, these sleeping toddlers equated death with a long and peaceful sleep. 🏺 3/

Roman, 50-100 CE. #GettyVilla
📸 me
Cupid, the winged child-god of love, lies with his right arm cast around his head, a typical motif to denote sleep. His missing left arm was probably limply extended. The strap for a quiver rests across his chest. Beneath him is a lion’s skin that covers a rocky surface—part of the tail is visible between his feet, and a paw to the right. The lion’s skin is an attribute of Hercules, and one tale tells of Cupid stealing his club, quiver, and lion’s skin, suggesting that even the mightiest are vulnerable to the playful, yet cunning, designs of love. In this sculpture, these symbols of the hero's strength are used to signal the irresistible power of Cupid. The motif of the sleeping Cupid is found in both poetry and art, and surviving sculptures of this type probably derive from a Greek sculpture of the Hellenistic period (323-31 B.C.). The image was used by the Romans in a variety of ways: as a fountain or garden ornament, as a dedication to the gods, and, as was probably the case with this sculpture, as a funerary monument. Sleeping Cupids are often depicted on tomb monuments and sarcophagi, equating death with restful slumber. The image of the sleeping child-god was especially popular on children's graves. Roman, 50-100 CE Marble Getty Villa Museum (73.AA.95)
January 9, 2026 at 6:57 PM
chapps.bsky.social
There's tremendous detail in the hair and the way the fat and skin of the child god is slack in sleep. His wings are so filled with detail that this sculpture must have been mounted to be seen in the round in antiquity, as it is now. It was perhaps set up in a sanctuary of Aphrodite. 🏺 2/

📸 me
Closeup of the slack face of the sleeping Eros, his quiver strap still around his chest. A chubby, naked toddler, he looks like he should be blowing sleep bubbles. His curly-wavy hair is mussed. The patina is several shades of green, and you can see some of the damage time has done to the bronze with the surface of the face becoming pebbly. The remarkable wings are seen via this rear view of the statue. The lower (left) wing is smooshed, partially under the weight of the child's body. The other wing is gently folded down against his back. Every detail in each feather has been picked out.
January 9, 2026 at 6:57 PM
chapps.bsky.social
'To sleep, perchance to dream.' The link between sleep and death is ever present in the ancient world. A popular motif was sleeping Eros, and this remarkably realistic Hellenistic version in bronze is one of the best. #ancientbluesky 🏺 1/

3rd-2nd c. CE #MetMuseum
📸 me
The Hellenistic period introduced the accurate characterization of age. Young children enjoyed great favor, whether in mythological form, as baby Herakles or Eros, or in genre scenes, playing with each other or with pets. This Eros, god of love, has been brought down to earth and disarmed, a conception considerably different from that of the powerful, often cruel, and capricious being so often addressed in Archaic poetry. One of the few bronze statues to have survived from antiquity, this figure of a plump baby in relaxed pose conveys a sense of the immediacy and naturalistic detail that the medium of bronze made possible. He is clearly based on firsthand observation. The support on which the god rests is a modern addition, but the work originally would have had a separate base, most likely of stone. This statue is the finest example of its kind. Judging from the large number of extant replicas, the type was popular in Hellenistic and, especially, Roman times. In the Roman period, Sleeping Eros statues decorated villa gardens and fountains. Their function in the Hellenistic period is less clear. They may have been used as dedications within a sanctuary of Aphrodite or possibly may have been erected in a public park or private, even royal, garden. Greek 3rd–2nd century BCE. Met Museum, New York (43.11.4)
January 9, 2026 at 6:57 PM
chapps.bsky.social
The iconic, delicately painted image on this kylix is of the goddess Aphrodite riding a goose through the air. Her hair is bound in a sakkos, and her transparent chiton is decorated with stars and bordered with a meander. 🏺 #ancientbluesky 1/

Greek, Attic, ca. 460 BCE. #BritishMuseum
📸 me
White-ground kylix (drinking-cup) with a delicate painting of Aphrodite, her hair bound in a sakkos, riding on a goose, the curling tendril of a plant held in her outstretched hand. The figures are outlined against the white background, with the inner details added in golden-brown glaze; purplish-red clay is used for the goddess's cloak and for the borders of her chiton (tunic). The painter's preliminary sketch is visible in places; the position and form of the tendril held by the goddess have been slightly altered from the original sketch, as have the outlines of the longest feathers on the end of each of the goose's wings. Two painted inscriptions read: ΑΦΡΟΔΙΤΕΣ and ΓΛΑΥΚΟΝ ΚΑΛΟΣ. The first inscription, over the wing of the goose, is 'Aphrodite'; the second inscription is a phrase - 'Glaukon kalos', meaning 'Glaukon is handsome/beautiful/good'. Greek, Attic, ca. 460 BCE, Fikellura grave 43, Kamiros, Rhodes. Attributed to the Pistoxenos Painter. Diameter: 24.10 cm (9.49 in.) Height: 10.75 cm (4.23 in.) British Museum, London (1864,1007.77)
January 8, 2026 at 5:10 PM
chapps.bsky.social
Not to a modern woman, perhaps. But he was da-voom 2,000 years ago.
January 8, 2026 at 3:17 PM
chapps.bsky.social
There’s a resemblance to a Julio-Claudian prince, for sure. But perhaps more Caligula, bottom right, than his nephew Nero, bottom left. In fact, the profile view of Caligula below resembles the profile of the mask quite strongly.

📸 me (ALT text for more info)
Marble portrait head of a young Nero. The head, carved to be fitted onto a statue, portrays the emperor Nero (reigned 54-68 CE) in a priestly role, capite velato (with covered head). The damnatio memoriae (damnation of memory) that Nero suffered after his death undoubtedly led to the removal of this sculpture from the site where it was originally placed, possibly to be identified with the Temple of Apollo on the Palatine Hill. Roman, ca. 54-59 CE. Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome (inv. 616) The portrait style created for Augustus was adopted by his family and immediate successors in order to stress the unity and continuity of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. This fine bust of Caligula (reigned 37– 41 CE) has regular features and carefully designed locks of hair similar to those in portraits of Augustus. Here, however, the artist has also conveyed something of Caligula’s vanity and cruelty in the proud turn of the head and the thin, pursed lips. Roman, 37-41 CE. Said to have been found near Marino, Lago Albano (Poulsen 1921, p. 67). H. 20 in. (50.8 cm) Met Museum, New York (14.37)
January 7, 2026 at 7:15 AM
chapps.bsky.social
He’s a sulky brat … somewhat like little Bosie.
January 7, 2026 at 2:53 AM
chapps.bsky.social
And this is how we know that these face masks weren’t just used during parades: the Kalkriese Face Mask, found at the site of the battle/massacre of Teutoburg Forest in Germany.

Roman, 1st c. CE, Museum und Park Kalkriese.

📸 Carole Raddato
January 6, 2026 at 9:35 PM
chapps.bsky.social
Well, we can’t just castigate the Romans for insanity. If you look at early Corinthian (Greek) helmet designs - the ones that fully enveloped the head - there was a similar limitation to peripheral vision.

Then there’s all of the wonderfully insane Japanese Kabuto helmets.…

📸 me
The helmet is Apulo-Corinthian in shape, a variation of the standard Corinthian type used in the Greek colonies in Apulia. Incredible patina - the true golden bronze peeks through in spots, with additional dull gold patina over the rest of the helmet, with bright green spots here and there. On top, two rectangular attachments flank an M-shaped clamp, and these originally would have held horsehair crests, feathers, or metal animal horns. At the back, a neck guard takes the form of a narrow flange that projects from the body of the helmet. Low holes on either side of the helmet held a chinstrap, and a hole in the back may have been used to hang it for storage or display. The helmet has two small eye-holes and a descending nose-guard, but there is no separation between the cheekplates for the mouth. It is unlikely to have had a practical purpose on the battlefield, but rather served a ceremonial function instead. The surface is elaborately decorated: incised lotus buds spring from the outer corners of the eyes, while hanging ringlets fall from a hairline and turn into a chain of lotus buds on the sides of the helmet. A seated sphinx wearing a diadem, with one foreleg raised, occupies each cheekpiece, and two reclining satyrs flank a kantharos on the back. The satyr on the left lies with his right knee drawn up. He supports himself on his left arm, clasping his right knee with his right so his upper torso rotates and he looks back at the kantharos. The satyr on the right of the kantharos lies on his back with his feet towards it. He lifts himself on his left elbow, resting his right wrist on his raised right knee. Greek, South Italian, ca. 400–375 BCE. Getty Villa Museu, Pacific Palisades, California (92.AC.7.1) This bronze helmet is of the Corinthian type, and may actually be Corinthian, where it was thought to have been made. It’s mostly unadorned, with a somewhat phallic rounded top with a peaked edge above the facial area. The eye holes are cat-like or almond shaped, and a nose is suggested by a strip of pointed bronze. There’s a slit behind this that runs from the eye holes down to the bottom of the helmet, to allow for air circulation and speaking (or screaming). The helmet has a patina of light green and brown, with some deeper orange discoloration in blotches. It’s missing its crest connectors. Greek, about 500 BCE, from Corinth. British Museum, London (1873,0910.1)
January 6, 2026 at 9:30 PM
chapps.bsky.social
This mask has the features of a handsome young man wearing an elaborate diadem with floral scrolls (very like the Emesa helmet from Homs, Syria), but others present the faces of easterners (e.g. Parthíans), women (e.g. Amazons), or mythical figures (e.g. Medusa). 🏺 2/
Right side of the mask, showing more detail of the decorative diadem, and the wavy long sideburns. The ears are large, the nose long, and the chin fleshy (a sign of the aristocracy - well-fed). The patina is a very dark brown with some light green patches.
January 6, 2026 at 5:13 PM