Antiquities Exhibits

Traditional stucco was made of lime, sand, and water. Animal or plant fibers were often added for additional strength. Stucco was easily molded or modeled into relief decoration for walls, ceilings, and floors and was traditionally used as both an interior and exterior finish applied in one or two thin layers directly over a solid masonry, brick, or stone surface. The finish coat often contained an integral color and was typically textured for appearance. Stucco relief was used in the architectural decoration schemes of many ancient cultures. Examples of Egyptian, Minoan, and Etruscan stucco reliefs remain extant. In the art of Mesopotamia and ancient Persian art there was a widespread tradition of figurative and ornamental internal stucco reliefs. In Roman art of the late Republic and early Empire, stucco was used extensively for the decoration of vaults. Though marble was the preferred sculptural medium in most regards, stucco was better for use in vaults because it was lighter and b...

The soldier on the plaque wears a tunic and cuirass and a crested and plumed helmet with cheek guards. His spear is beside him. The modeling is bold and chunky but not unaccomplished. The left side of the frame and the front of the soldier's helmet are both chipped. The plaque is sharply convex on a vertical axis and probably decorated a cylindrical box or a piece of furniture. It must have been secured by vertical framing that overlaped the grooved frame on the sides since no attachment holes exist. Plaques of this type normally have been attributed to the 3rd or 4th century, but the similarity of this one in size and style of carving to a plaque from a 1st century BC tomb at Cuma, Italy, raises the question whether this and perhaps other plaques may not be much earlier in date. Image: Carved bone plaque depicting a soldier, probably from furniture or storage chest, 1st century BCE or 3rd-4th century CE, Roman  at the Walters Art Museum courtesy of the museum.

Assyria: Palace Art of Ancient Iraq at the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades, California Part 1. In the ninth through seventh centuries B.C.E., the kings of Assyria forged the  greatest empire the region had known. Its armies conquered lands from Egypt, the eastern Mediterranean coast, and parts of Anatolia (Turkey) in the west to the mountains of Iran in the east. The Assyrian heartland itself lay astride the Tigris River in Mesopotamia, in what is today northern Iraq. Its original capital was the city of Ashur, known by this name since at least the mid-third millennium B.C.E. In the period of the Assyrian Empire, the capital moved successively to Kalhu (Nimrud), Dur-Sharrukin (Khorsabad), and finally—the grandest city of all—Nineveh. At each of these sites the kings built palaces to glorify their reigns, adorning the walls with superbly carved reliefs in gypsum and limestone. The scenes, which were originally brightly painted, presented an idealized image of the ruler throu...

Reopening March 1, 2019. An exploration of the ancient city of Aregenua at the Vieux la Romaine Archaeological Museum near Caen, France. This museum's permanent collections include 4,000 objects recovered from the ancient town of Aregenua, the capital of the Viducasse tribe. Excavations beginning in 1702 under the direction of King Louis XIV uncovered a bath house and a theater. Recent excavations in 1988 revealed a large town  house with paved central courtyard and a large number of artifacts used in daily life there. In 2002, a museum was built to showcase the artifacts and provide visitor information. Image: Relief of a satyr recovered from the House of the Grand Peristyle in Aregenua. Image courtesy of the Vieux la Romaine Archaeological Museum with digital enhancements.