Relief of Eros and Anteros
Γ368
White marble
Chipping on faces and scattered across the shole surface, especially around the edge of the relief
Length: 35.5 cm. Height: 20 cm.
Knossos
Urban villa
Roman period:
2nd c. AD:
Gallery:
XXVII
Case:
Not in case
Exhibition thematic unit:
Sculpture. Hellenistic period (3rd-2nd c. BC) Roman period (1st c. BC-3rd c. AD)
Description
Decorative, roughly rectangular relief plaque from the urban villa of Knossos where the plaque of Leda and the Swan (Γ367) was also found. Although a low relief of mediocre quality, it very vividly depicts Eros and Anteros contesting for a palm-branch with a ribbon tied around it. On their right is what is probably an open-air shrine in miniature: a vase on a pedestal and a low pillar on which stands a sculpture of an unidentified bird. At the base of the pillar, Eros’ quiver of arrows lies upside-down.
Bibliography:
N. Platon, A Guide to the Archaeological Museum of Heraclion, Athens 1964, 160. S. Alexiou, Οδηγός Αρχαιολογικού Μoυσείου Ηρακλείου, Athens 1968,136. K.Sporn, "The Cretan Venus", Überlegungen zur Skulpturenausstattung von römischen Privathäusern auf Kreta, in P. Karanastasi, Th. Stefanidou-Tiveriou, D. Damaskos (eds), Γλυπτική και κοινωνία στη ρωμαϊκή Ελλάδα: καλλιτεχνικά προϊόντα, κοινωνικές προβολές. Διεθνές συνέδριο, Ρέθυμνο, 26-28 Σεπτεμβρίου 2014, Thessaloniki 2018, 277.
Author:
K. S.
Photographs' metadata