The Asclepius of Milos or Asklepios of Melos is a marble head from what was once a colossal ancient Greek statue of
Asclepius
Asclepius (; grc-gre, Ἀσκληπιός ''Asklēpiós'' ; la, Aesculapius) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis, or Arsinoe, or of Apollo alone. Asclepius represe ...
found on the island of
Milos
Milos or Melos (; el, label=Modern Greek, Μήλος, Mílos, ; grc, Μῆλος, Mêlos) is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete. Milos is the southwesternmost island in the Cyclades group.
The ''Venus d ...
in Greece. It was acquired by the
British Museum
The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
along with the rest of the
Blacas collection in 1867.
[British Museum Highlights]
/ref>British Museum Collection
/ref>
Discovery
The head was found in the mid nineteenth century at the shrine of Asclepius on the island of Milos in the Cyclades
The Cyclades (; el, Κυκλάδες, ) are an island group in the Aegean Sea, southeast of mainland Greece and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name ...
, Greece. It was later acquired by the French diplomat and collector Louis, Duke of Blacas
Louis Charles Pierre Casimir de Blacas d'Aulps, 2nd Duke of Blacas, 2nd Prince of Blacas (15 April 1815, London – 10 February 1866, Venice) was a French nobleman and antiquarian. He was the son of Pierre-Louis de Blacas d'Aulps, 1st Duke of ...
. The Blacas collection was purchased in its entirety by the British Museum in 1867.
Description
The head is made from Parian marble
Parian marble is a fine-grained semi translucent pure-white and entirely flawless marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros in the Aegean Sea.
It was highly prized by ancient Greeks for making sculptures. Some of the ...
and was once part of a twice life-size cult statue
In the practice of religion, a cult image is a human-made object that is venerated or worshipped for the deity, spirit or daemon that it embodies or represents. In several traditions, including the ancient religions of Egypt, Greece and Rom ...
of the ancient Greek god of medicine and healing Asclepius (or Asklepios). It was made from three pieces, only two of which are extant. Around the head are drill holes and lead pegs for a now missing gold wreath
A wreath () is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a circle .
In English-speaking countries, wreaths are used typically as household ornaments, most commonly as an Advent and Chri ...
that once crowned the statue. The serene expression on the deity's face is typical of Hellenistic sculpture
Hellenistic sculpture represents one of the most important expressions of Hellenistic culture, and the final stage in the evolution of Ancient Greek sculpture. The definition of its chronological duration, as well as its characteristics and meanin ...
from this period. Asclepius would probably have been shown standing semi-nude, clasping a staff of Asclepius, a staff with a serpent
Serpent or The Serpent may refer to:
* Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes
Mythology and religion
* Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature
* Serpent (symbolism), the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts
* Serp ...
wrapped around it, as was typical of late-Hellenistic and Roman representations of the god.[
]
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
*S. Walker, Roman art (London, 1991)
*L. Burn, The British Museum book of Greek and Roman Art, revised edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1999)
*B. Ashmole, 'The poise of the Blacas head', Annual of the British School at Athens, 46 (1951), pp. 2–6
Ancient Greek and Roman sculptures in the British Museum
Statues
Marble sculptures in the United Kingdom
Hellenistic sculpture
4th-century BC Greek sculptures
Milos
Cult images