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This is an abstract modern Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods. She was often described as the handmaiden and personal messenger of Hera. Iris was a goddess of s…

This is an abstract modern Iris was the goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods. She was often described as the handmaiden and personal messenger of Hera. Iris was a goddess of sea and sky--her father Thaumas the wondrous was a marine-god, and her mother Elektra the amber a cloud-nymph. For the coastal-dwelling Greeks, the rainbow's arc was most often seen spanning the distance between cloud and sea, and so the goddess was believed to replenish the rain-clouds with water from the sea. Iris had no distinctive mythology of her own. In myth, she appears only as an errand-running messenger and was usually described as a virgin goddess. Her name contains a double meaning, being connected with both the Greek word iris the rainbow and eiris messenger. Iris is depicted in ancient Greek vase painting as a beautiful young woman with golden wings, a herald's rod (kerykeion), and sometimes a water-pitcher (oinochoe) in her hand. She was usually depicted standing beside Zeus or Hera, sometimes serving nectar from her jug. As cup-bearer of the gods, Iris is often indistinguishable from Hebe in art.

This sculpture depicts The Lion of England, one of the Queen's Beasts.  The original Queen's Beasts were a set of ten heraldic statues produced by the Ministry of Works for the coronation ceremony of…

This sculpture depicts The Lion of England, one of the Queen's Beasts.  The original Queen's Beasts were a set of ten heraldic statues produced by the Ministry of Works for the coronation ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953 by renowned sculptor James Woodford. It was ultimately decided that they would be gifted to one of the Commonwealth governments and Canada was offered the Beasts. They accepted the offer in 1959 and they now stand in the Canadian Museum of History in Quebec. In 1956 a replica set of Beasts were made in Portland stone once again by James Woodford and donated to Kew. It is these sculptures that visitors to the gardens are greeted with when approaching the main entrance of the Palm House. The Lion of England is the crowned golden lion of England, which has been one of the supporters of the Royal Arms since the reign of Edward IV (1461–1483). It supports a shield showing the Arms of the United Kingdom as they have been since Queen Victoria's accession in 1837. In the first and last quarters of the shield are the lions of England, taken from the arms of Richard I The Lionheart (1157–1199). The lion and tressure (armorial border) of Scotland appear in the second, and the harp of Ireland is in the third.

This portrait of Vitellio was incorporated to the Torlonia collection from the Albani collection. Vitellius was the first to add to his nomen the honorific Germanic surname in place of Caesar , the la…

This portrait of Vitellio was incorporated to the Torlonia collection from the Albani collection. Vitellius was the first to add to his nomen the honorific Germanic surname in place of Caesar , the latter title which fell out of favor in many districts of Rome due to Nero's actions.Aulus Vitellius Germanicus Augustus  was the eight Roman Emperor An authoritative character, of sure prestige and of high social status: the lips tightened firmly, the resolute gaze only partially hidden by the bushy eyebrows. The face of this character vaguely recalls that of the emperor Vitellius portrayed on the coins (Vitellius reigned for a few months in 69 AD), and the suggestion is also confirmed by the story of Suetonius, which describes his extreme fatness due to excessive crapule .

This piece represents a Roman version of Eros (God of Love) also known as Cupid, unstringing his bow. It was exposed and it has been scanned at Christie's in London in The Antiquities section on the 4…

This piece represents a Roman version of Eros (God of Love) also known as Cupid, unstringing his bow. It was exposed and it has been scanned at Christie's in London in The Antiquities section on the 4th of December 2019.

On the right one may recognize Saint Peter, holding the keys to Heaven, and tonsured (he is considered as the first priest of Christianity). On the left there is St Paul, depicted as usual as bald and…

On the right one may recognize Saint Peter, holding the keys to Heaven, and tonsured (he is considered as the first priest of Christianity). On the left there is St Paul, depicted as usual as bald and holding a part of the Holy Scriptures. Both saints are often represented together because of their shared-life episode of the martyr. They are also some of the most celebrated saints  of the religion – that may be why they are offered such a prestigious place, next to the Virgin and child, in this sculpture.

The Annunciation corresponds to a scene from the Bible in which the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the son of God. This scene has a few codes of representation  This scene has…

The Annunciation corresponds to a scene from the Bible in which the Archangel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the son of God. This scene has a few codes of representation  This scene has a few codes of representation which are respected here: the Archangel Gabriel is holding a branch of lilies which are a symbol of the Holy Trinity. Mary is depicted in her room which is not very richly furnished, contrary to later representations during the peak of the Italian Renaissance.

This is torso of a limestone statue depicting an unknown female. The statue is copying the Greek archaic type of sculpture called 'kore'. The sculpture was discovered in Salamis.

The Virgin with Jesus Christ decorate the central trumeau of the portal built in 1513.  Twelve Sybilles and four prophets decorate the whole structure to announce Jesus Christ coming. The association…

The Virgin with Jesus Christ decorate the central trumeau of the portal built in 1513.  Twelve Sybilles and four prophets decorate the whole structure to announce Jesus Christ coming. The association of Sybilles with characters from the Old Testament want to transfer the idea of Christ being the Messiah. In 1887 the first door was molded and cast, in 1890 the decision to mold the other one too was taken.

In Aztec mythology, Coyolxauhqui was a daughter of Coatlicue and Mixcoatl and is the leader of the Centzon Huitznahuas, the southern star gods. Coyolxauhqui ruled over her brothers, the Four Hundred S…

In Aztec mythology, Coyolxauhqui was a daughter of Coatlicue and Mixcoatl and is the leader of the Centzon Huitznahuas, the southern star gods. Coyolxauhqui ruled over her brothers, the Four Hundred Southerners, she led them in attack against their mother, Coatlicue, when they learned she was pregnant, convinced she dishonored them all.A large shield-shaped stone relief reflecting this story was found at the base of the stairs of the Templo Mayor. On this disk, Coyolxauhqui is shown spread out on her side, with her head, arms and legs chopped away from her body. Her position in the stone carving may represent the full moon. But other scholars believe that she should be understood as the Goddess of the Milky Way, or be associated with patterns of other stars associated with Huitzilopochtli. She is distinguished by bells of eagle down in her hair, a bell symbol on her cheek, and an ear tab showing the Mexica year sign. As with images of her mother, she is shown with a skull tied to her belt. Scholars also believe that the decapitation and destruction of Coyolxauhqui is reflected in the pattern of warrior ritual sacrifice. First, captives' hearts were cut out. Then the bodies were cast from the temple. At the bottom of the stairs, near the Coyolxauhqui stone, the bodies were decapitated and dismembered.   This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.

This sculpture depicts lying lion with eagle-like wings on his back. Probably the sculpture was inspired by all the different appearances of the winged lions in myths such as Pixiu and Gryphons. These…

This sculpture depicts lying lion with eagle-like wings on his back. Probably the sculpture was inspired by all the different appearances of the winged lions in myths such as Pixiu and Gryphons. These beast considered to be dangerous for enemies protectors of places, people and wealth.