William Sterling

Head of one of the four horses of the moon goddess Selene from the northern end of the East Pediment of the Parthenon in Athens c. 420 BC, currently in the British Museum. One of the most popular of the so-called Elgin Marbles which Lord Elgin rescued from Athens in the early nineteenth century. The East Pediment showed the birth of Athena as she burst out of the head of her father, Zeus, and the reaction of those who were present. Although all the central figures are long gone at either end are depictions of the sun god Helios rising from the sea with his four horse chariot and the moon goddess Selene returning to the sea with hers showing that Athena was born at dawn. Image © Trustees of the British Museum

  • This event has passed.

Heroes and Gods: 19th and 20th Century Classical References in the British Museum and elsewhere

April 24, 2021

£59
  1. What is the course about?

Delve into classical myths used in naval related items by examining some objects from various collections.

  1. What topics will we cover?

Following on from the previous course we shall look at what Classical artworks were available to artists in the C19th and what literary works were studied in schools and were known to the general population.  We shall identify some of the Classical gods, heroes, figures from myth and historical characters used as figureheads and ship badges such as Achilles, Ajax, Atalanta, Caesar, Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Dido, Hercules, Leda, Minerva, Neptune, Orpheus and Penelope.  I shall outline the basic myths surrounding them and examine why they might have been chosen.

  1. What will I learn? By the end of the course you should be able to:

Recognise figures from Greek and Roman myths

Understand why these were used by the navy

Appreciate the lasting appeal of Classical Mythology

Details

Date:
April 24, 2021
Cost:
£59
Event Tags:
, , , , , , , , ,
Website:
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/heroes-and-gods-19-and-20-century-classical-references-in-the-british-museum-and-elsewhere/rc022-2021

Venue

City Lit via Zoom

Organizer

City Lit

Top