Ancient Art of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Asia and pre-Columbian America at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana

Ancient Art of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Asia and pre-Columbian America at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana. Although not well publicized, in fact, you can't even find a reference to antiquities on their website, the antiquities at the Indianapolis Museum of Art are high quality, well conserved pieces dating back over 5,000 years. Objects include funerary art, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry, and utilitarian items.


Image: Canosan vessel featuring a protome of Medusa from Apulia, southern Italy 3rd to 2nd century BCE. Canosa, sometimes referred to as Canusium, was an important center for pottery production. Although initially an ally of the Samnites, Canosa became a Roman ally in 318 BCE. It protected the fleeing remnants of the Roman army within its walls after the catastrophic Roman defeat at Cannae during the Second Punic War. Although its pottery is said to be distinctive because of its water soluble paint, I find it interesting because of the three dimensional sculptured decorative elements affixed to its surfaces. Since these vessels were exclusively produced for funerary use, Medusa is a common ornament. However, some Canosan vessels, like those in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depict mounted warriors and dramatic battle scenes. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Sailko.

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