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aicbyzantine.bsky.social
AIC: Ancient and Byzantine Art (Bot)
@aicbyzantine.bsky.social
180 followers 3 following 2.6K posts
Sharing artworks from the Art Institute of Chicago's Ancient and Byzantine Art department.
Automated thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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Fragment of Inlays Depicting a Zig-zag Pattern https://www.artic.edu/artworks/143658/
In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The mosaic pattern was made by sagging molten glass into bowl-shaped molds, a technique used on many of these fragments is similar to millefiori, “thousand flowers” in Italian, a modern glass-making method in which tiny rods of colored glass are bundled together, wrapped in a sheet of glass, fused, and then thinly sliced to reveal swirls of a flower-like patterns. They were arranged side by side, sometimes together with bits of colored glass, and fused together with heat. Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
February 10, 2026 at 1:53 PM
aicbyzantine.bsky.social
Vessel https://www.artic.edu/artworks/130108/
Egyptian alabaster is a form of limestone (calcite) that is found in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. It was favored for cosmetic and ritual offering fishes because of its beautiful color and translucent quality. Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson
February 10, 2026 at 12:03 PM
aicbyzantine.bsky.social
Bowl https://www.artic.edu/artworks/40902/
Cyprus was an important center for trade and commerce throughout antiquity. By the Late Bronze Age (about 1600–1050BC), the island was producing large quantities of copper, which lured adventurous seafaring merchants to its shores in the hope of exchanging their cargo for the prized metal. Imported goods and migrant artists profoundly influenced Cypriot potters and painters, who began to create and decorate their wares differently. New products served the Cypriots’ domestic and ritual needs or made their way on outbound ships to distant lands, where they in turn inspired local artists. This hemispherical bowl has a single handle in the shape of a wishbone. Sometimes called a “milk bowl,” it is coated with white slip and painted with dark brown patterns. Cypriot vases decorated in this technique were widely exported around the Mediterranean. Museum Purchase Fund
February 10, 2026 at 8:48 AM
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Coin Portraying Emperor Constantine I https://www.artic.edu/artworks/142620/
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Constantine I, facing right and wearing a diadem.On the back (reverse), two military standards are flanked by two soldiers. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 9, 2026 at 6:36 PM
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Coin Depicting a Griffin https://www.artic.edu/artworks/142903/
The front (obverse) of this coin depicts a griffin, a mythological creature with the head and wings of an eagle and body of a lion, leaping to the right. The back (reverse) depicts a lyre, a stringed instrument like a small harp. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 9, 2026 at 5:27 PM
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Denarius (Coin) Depicting the Goddess Roma https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141635/
The denarius, introduced in 211 BCE, was the principal silver coin of Rome for five hundred years. The profilehead of the goddess Roma—the personification of Rome—was the most popular image depicted on silver denarii in the second and first centuries BCE. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 9, 2026 at 3:10 PM
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Scarabs with Inscriptions on Base https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140254/
Gift of the President and the Committee of the Egypt Exploration Fund from Temple of Der el Bahari
February 9, 2026 at 11:13 AM
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Hawk Head https://www.artic.edu/artworks/196485/
These precious bronzes objects are votives, or devotional gifts, made for gods. They come in many forms. Some are miniature sculptures of animals, mostly depicting horses, deer, and birds. Others are items of personal adornment, including beads and brooches. Quite a few seem once to have been attached to something else. This assemblage is characteristic of the thousands of votives that were hung from sacred trees or placed in sanctuaries around Greece. Once a shrine was full, the votives were gathered together and ceremonially buried to make room for more offerings. This comes from Thessaly in north-eastern Greece. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Alexander
February 9, 2026 at 9:10 AM
aicbyzantine.bsky.social
Scarab: Hieroglyphs (Red Crown, nfr- and nb-Signs: Trigramme of Amun) https://www.artic.edu/artworks/134343/
Gift of Henry H. Getty and Charles L. Hutchinson
February 8, 2026 at 5:43 PM
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Fragment of a Bowl https://www.artic.edu/artworks/92552/
Anonymous Fund
February 8, 2026 at 3:40 PM
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Bracelet https://www.artic.edu/artworks/942/
Gift of Charles L. Hutchinson
February 8, 2026 at 2:49 PM
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Hemidrachm (Coin) Depicting a Female Head https://www.artic.edu/artworks/142696/
The front (obverse) of this coin shows a female head, facing to the right and wearing a veil. On the back (reverse), a lyre is depicted within a wreath. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 8, 2026 at 8:50 AM
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Coin Portraying Emperor Constantine II Caesar https://www.artic.edu/artworks/142624/
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Constantine I, facing right and wearing a diadem.On the back (reverse) two military standards are flanked by two soldiers. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 7, 2026 at 5:47 PM
aicbyzantine.bsky.social
Tetradrachm (Coin) Depicting the Nymph Arethusa https://www.artic.edu/artworks/27344/
The front of this coin depicts Arethusa, a water nymph who is often accompanied by dolphins, as she is here. On the back a four horse chariot called a Quadriga is shown advancing to the left. Gift of Mrs. Tiffany Blake
February 7, 2026 at 5:31 PM
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Bottle https://www.artic.edu/artworks/61968/
Initially affordable only among the wealthy, glass was used in ancient Rome as containers for oils, perfume, and tablewares. The variety of glass-making techniques reveals the changing tastes and fashions over the centuries. During the 1st century CE, cast glass was a novel form that was a luxury for the Roman household, but by the end of the century, the innovation of blown glass allowed for less labor-intensive and less expensive production, which meant people of lesser means could afford it. Blown glass became so popular it nearly supplanted ceramic and even bronze wares in the home. Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
February 7, 2026 at 1:09 PM
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Coin Depicting a Female Bust https://www.artic.edu/artworks/142757/
Gift of William F. Dunham
February 7, 2026 at 10:46 AM
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Denarius (Coin) Depicting the God Apollo https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141616/
The front of this coin depicts the god Apollo, facing right and wearing a crown of laurels with a thunderbolt shown below. On the back, Apollo is depicted riding a goat. A decorative laurel wreath surrounds the scene. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 6, 2026 at 7:46 PM
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Aureus (Coin) Portraying Emperor Caracalla https://www.artic.edu/artworks/5669/
During the period of the five “Good Emperors,” succession was not hereditary. It was instead based on merit, with the current ruler formally adopting his successor. This pattern ended with Marcus Aurelius’s son, Commodus (reigned 177–92), who inherited the crown. He promptly abused his power and died a tyrant’s death. The Severan dynasty followed with the rise to power of Septimius Severus. His two sons, Caracalla and Geta, were proclaimed co-emperors upon his death. Within a year the conflict between the brothers resulted in Caracalla (reigned 211–17) killing Geta in order to rule alone. The front (obverse) of this coin portrays a bust of Emperor Caracalla facing right, laureate, and wearing a cuirass and paludamentum (breastplate and military cloak). The back (reverse) depicts Serapis standing to the left, wearing a polos on his head, while raising his right hand and holding a scepter. Gift of Martin A. Ryerson
February 6, 2026 at 5:27 PM
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Flask https://www.artic.edu/artworks/43340/
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
February 6, 2026 at 2:41 PM
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Flask https://www.artic.edu/artworks/65575/
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
February 6, 2026 at 11:22 AM
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Sestertius (Coin) Portraying Emperor Severus Alexander https://www.artic.edu/artworks/141732/
The front (obverse) of this coin portrays the emperor Severus Alexander, facing right and wearing a crown of laurels. On the back (reverse), a warrior is shown in the nude. Gift of William F. Dunham
February 6, 2026 at 8:30 AM
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Amulet of a Cape Hare https://www.artic.edu/artworks/140353/
Gift of Henry H. Getty, Charles L. Hutchinson, Robert H. Fleming, and Norman W. Harris
February 5, 2026 at 6:21 PM
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Fragment of an Inlay Depicting a Fish https://www.artic.edu/artworks/67858/
In ancient Rome, there was a high demand for colorful glass that could dazzle banquet guests alongside the expensive silver and gold serving wares meant to impress. Fragments like this one would have once been a part of larger mosaic dishes. The mosaic pattern was made by sagging molten glass into bowl-shaped molds, a technique used on many of these fragments is similar to millefiori, “thousand flowers” in Italian, a modern glass-making method in which tiny rods of colored glass are bundled together, wrapped in a sheet of glass, fused, and then thinly sliced to reveal swirls of a flower-like patterns. They were arranged side by side, sometimes together with bits of colored glass, and fused together with heat. Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
February 5, 2026 at 5:34 PM
aicbyzantine.bsky.social
Fragment of a Portrait Statue of a Man https://www.artic.edu/artworks/41506/
Beginning in the 1st century A.D., it became increasingly popular among well-to-do Roman men to represent oneself in the guise of a Greek mythological hero. Such portraits, which typically paired a muscular, youthful body with a more mature, realistic portrait head, were intended to equate the individual’s achievements and admirable qualities with those of the favored hero. This statue likely alluded to the Greek hero Diomedes, who played a pivotal role in the Trojan War by stealing the Palladium, a wooden image of the goddess Athena thought to protect the city of Troy from danger. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Edwin E. Hokin
February 5, 2026 at 1:14 PM
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Flask https://www.artic.edu/artworks/54595/
Gift of Theodore W. and Frances S. Robinson
February 5, 2026 at 10:36 AM