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@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 20, 2026, 1:37 PM

Roman Dog Statuette
bronze
c. 100-300 CE
Ancient Rome

#handmade #cast #bronze #ancient #Rome #ancientart #ancientsculpture #art #sculpture #Romansculpture #dogsculpture #fidelity #loyalty #protection #guard #dog #hunting #deities #cerberus #religion #belief #culture #canine

@goworldtravel.bsky.social Sep 19, 2026, 6:57 PM

Stroll Berlin’s Museum Island for Nefertiti, Impressionist masterworks and grand architecture, plus modern history from the Wall to today.
#Berlin #MuseumIsland #AncientArt #TravelTips

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 19, 2026, 12:53 PM

Funeral Mask
copper, shell, pigments
c. 100-800 CE
Mochica (Moche) culture
Peru

#handmade #coppper #shell #pigments #Moche #Mochica #culture #Peru #mask #funeralmask #ancientart #art #sculpture #ancientsculpture #precolumbian #prehispanic #tribalart #tribalmask #shaman #transformation #jaguar

@nbherol.bsky.social Sep 19, 2026, 9:00 AM

The Golden Glow of Augustus | Afyonkarahisar Museum, Turkiye..
#BlueSkyArtShow #Golden #AncientArt #MuseumsOfTurkiye #RomanHistory #Archaeology #Afyonkarahisar

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 18, 2026, 6:01 PM

Tlaloc Rain God Figure
ceramic, pigments
c. 600-1200 CE
Totonac culture
Veracruz, Mexico

#handmade #ceramic #pigments #sculpture #art #ancientart #ancientsculpture #Tlaloc #raingod #totonac #culture #precolumbian #prehispanic #veracruz #mexico #mesoamerica #religion #belief #fertility #crops #gods

@nottging8366.bsky.social Sep 17, 2026, 7:32 AM

Beautiful sculpture found in Madrid #statue #sculpture #sculpt #ancientsculpture #art #ancientart #statues

@nottging8366.bsky.social Sep 17, 2026, 7:32 AM

Beautiful sculpture found in Madrid #statue #sculpture #sculpt #ancientsculpture #art #ancientart #statues

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 16, 2026, 4:13 PM

Were-Jaguar Mask
carved greenstone (serpentine or jade)
c. 900-600 BCE
Olmec culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #greenstone #jade #serpentine #olmec #culture #werejaguar #mask #transformation #shaman #ritual #religion #fertility #maize #precolumbian #prehispanic #precolumbianjade #ancientart #art

This image shows an ancient Olmec greenstone were-jaguar mask, originating from Mesoamerica (approx. 900–600 BCE).
Features the characteristic downturned trapezoidal mouth, almond-shaped eyes, and a cleft head representing the supernatural transformation between human and jaguar.
Carved from dense green stone (such as jadeite or serpentine), which held deep religious significance associated with maize, water, and life-generating fertility.
Created by the Olmec civilization—often termed the "mother culture" of Mesoamerica—such masks were likely utilized in elite shamanic rituals or as sacred votive offerings.

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 15, 2026, 3:25 PM

Male Figure Pendant
gold
c. 500-1000 CE
Tolima culture
Colombia

#handmade #gold #pendant #male #figure #jewelry #jewelrydesign #Tolima #culture #Colombia #ancientart #art #ancientjewelry #precolumbian #prehispanic #precolumbiangold #goldjewelry #ancientgoldjewelry #metropolitanmuseum #nyc

@dalvarez-01.bsky.social Sep 15, 2026, 1:25 AM

A ancient maya mask, still preserving traces of its original paint and colourful decoration.

The elaborate headdress and applied ornaments make it interesting.

I’ve added another photo from a different angle in the thread.

#Archaeology #AncientArt #Museum #History

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 14, 2026, 12:38 PM

Warrior Figure
ceramic, pigments
c. 600-900 CE
Maya culture
Jaina, Campeche
Mexico

#handmade #ceramic #earthenware #pigments #warrior #figure #Maya #culture #lateclassicperiod #jainaisland #campeche #mexico #mesoamerica #precolumbian #art #sculpture #prehispanic #ancientart #ancientsculpture #jaina

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 12, 2026, 2:33 PM

Maya Noblewoman holding a Quincunx
ceramic, pigments
c. 600-900 CE
Late Classic
Maya Culture
Mexico

#handmade #ceramic #pigments #noblewoman #quincunx #religion #belief #cosmos #fourdirections #center #spiritual #precolumbian #ancientmexico #ancientart #art #sculpture #prehispanic #MayaCulture

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 12, 2026, 2:24 PM

Kroisos Kouros
marble, pigments
c. 530 BCE
Anavyssos, Attica
Greece

#handmade #carved #marble #stone #sculpture #art #ancientart #ancientgreece #greeksculpture #kroisoskouros #anavyssos #attica #greece #warrior #memorial #gravemarker #archaicperiod #archaicsmile #nationalarcheologicalmuseum #athens

The Kroisos Kouros, an ancient Greek marble statue from the Archaic period.
It is dated to around 530 BC and was found in Anavyssos, Attica.
The life-sized statue served as a grave marker for a young warrior named Kroisos.
It features the rigid stance and stylized "Archaic smile" typical of the era.
It is currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens.
Over thousands of years, exposure to elements, burial, and harsh cleaning faded the vibrant colors, leaving behind the bare, weathered marble seen today. However, microscopic analysis and close inspection reveal crucial details about its original appearance.
Faint remnants of red pigment are still visible on the statue, particularly in the hair and the eyes.
The intricately braided hair was coated in dark tones or red underpainting, which some scholars believe may have originally been covered with gold leaf to give it a brilliant, heroic shine.
Colors were used to pick out specific features such as the lips, eyes, and nipples to make the figure feel more present and lifelike.
While mainland kouroi like this one have less surviving skin pigment, contemporary statues from other Greek regions show traces of dark, reddish-brown paint used to represent a healthy, athletic sun-tan.
In antiquity, the cemeteries and sanctuaries where these statues stood would have been filled with vivid, intensely colorful figures rather than the austere white galleries we see in museums today.

@dalvarez-01.bsky.social Sep 12, 2026, 1:47 PM

A deity associated with merchants and cacao, Ek Chuah was an important figure in Maya culture.

This ceramic dates to the Postclassic period (900–1200 CE). I love the expressive face and the traces of blue and red pigment that have survived.

#Maya #Archaeology #AncientArt

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 11, 2026, 3:56 PM

A Jaguar vessel
ceramic, pigments
c. 350-400 CE
La Tolita culture
Ecuador

#handmade #ceramic #pigments #vessel #vase #alcarraza #LaTolita #culture #Ecuador #Quito #NationalMuseum #precolumbian #prehispanic #art #ancientart #sculpture #precolumbianpottery #jaguar #design #apex #predator #strength

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 10, 2026, 6:19 PM

Crab Vessel
Clay, pigment
c. 100 BCE to 250 CE
Colima culture
Mexico

#handmade #crab #vessel #Colima #culture #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #art #sculpture #ancientmexico #precolumbianpottery #pottery

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 9, 2026, 5:15 PM

Mosaic Encrusted Skull
human skull, turquoise, onyx, shell
c. 1350-1520 CE
Aztec (Mexica) culture
Mexico

#handmade #humanskull #turquoise #onyx #shell #mosaicoverlay #ancientart #art #sculpture #Aztec #Mexica #culture #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbianart #religion #belief #ritual #ceremony #skull

@patrickkapty.bsky.social Sep 8, 2026, 7:01 PM

Grasshopper Throne
carved stone
c. 1350-1500 CE
Purépecha culture
Michoacán, Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #grasshopper #design #throne #chair #purépecha #culture #michoacán #mexico #mesoamerica #ancientmexico #ancientart #ancientsculpture #sculpture #art #precolumbian #prehispanic #elite #ruler

The Purépecha are an indigenous people centered in the highlands of Michoacán, Mexico, historically renowned for successfully resisting the Aztec Empire and mastering early bronze and copper metallurgy.
Formed a powerful pre-Columbian state around Lake Pátzcuaro.
Defeated the Aztecs in the 1470s and maintained independence until Spanish forces arrived in the 1530s.
Built distinct stepped pyramids known as yácatas.
Language is Purépecha (historically called Tarascan), an isolate language not clearly related to surrounding Mesoamerican tongues.
Traditional arts include advanced metalwork, distinctive woodcraft, and pottery deeply tied to festivals like the Day of the Dead.
Traditional religious beliefs centered on deities like Kurikaweri (sky and war god) and Kwerawáperi (earth mother), which blended with Roman Catholicism over time.
Most members live in Michoacán, with vibrant populations in towns like Cherán, Paracho, and Pátzcuaro.
Growing diaspora communities exist across the United States and Mexican urban centers due to agricultural migration and economic shifts.

@psychicrevue.bsky.social Sep 8, 2026, 6:43 PM

Ancient Iranian art features prominently in the 1981 book, 'Art In The Ancient World.' Here's one example from the many illustrations of historic Persian art that seems a metaphor for the current ongoing, so-called "Military Conflict" with Iran. #booksky #AncientArt.