Day 65 - Cypriot statue of man holding bull mask



July 2, 2018

Gallery 176, the last gallery of the Cesnola Collection and the last Classical gallery in my enterprise, contains a potpourri of Cypriot sculpture, jewelry, coins, and other objects from the Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. There's a pair of delicate gold and amethyst earrings from the 1st century C.E. that I truly covet, along with a gracefully-shaped glass cup from the 3rd century, aqua-tinted at the base, that I would love to have on my dining room table.

I chose today's object because of all the connections it (finally) allows me to make. It's a 4th century B.C.E. life-size limestone statue of a man.  He is completely covered by skillfully modeled drapery. The head has been lost, but in the crook of his left arm, he cradles what the caption explains is a mask representing the head of a bull. The caption says that bulls' heads played a role in Cypriot religious rituals from the Late Bronze Age on. Bulls' skulls served as masks, and bull masks were also fashioned in terracotta. Bull-gods, it is thought, were associated with fertility. And while Cypriot rituals may have differed from those of Greece, it strikes me that if bulls really were seen as symbols of fertility, this goes far to elucidate the myths of Pasiphae and Europa. Zeus carries the latter off not only to have sex with her but to procreate with her.  What could be more important in the ancient world - or in ours?

The next visit will start a long sojourn in the Asian galleries- a very different challenge for me. But first some reflections on the Classical art I've seen are in order.

later
Yes, this image created associations - but they are factually wrong. First, a check on the internet reveals that Europa, impregnated by Zeus, was, in fact, the mother of King Minos of Crete, but she was seen as of Phoenician origin. The mythology of the sacred bull comes from the Levant - hence, its prominence in Crete and Cyprus -  but Europa per se wasn't venerated in Greece itself.  As for Pasiphae, she was not seduced by a bull.  She mated with a bull, yes - but this was a result of her own unnatural instincts, nor was she the mother of nations (well, Cretan rulers, anyway) but a woman to be abhorred.  But then again, it's fine for male gods to transform themselves into beasts and mate with women, just not for women to mate with real beasts. 

Today's entry has brought me face-to-face with what I don't know, and I know that that will be even more true in the Asian galleries.  But forwards!

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