Charioteer from Motya, Sicily

These are to my eyes two of the most beautiful statues.

Dancing satyr of Mazara del Vallo

The stone one, The charioteer from Motya, Sicily, is probably of a slave or servant as the free or noble folk typically rode their chariots while naked; the sensuous human form evoked below the sculpted cloth is breathtaking for me.

The bronze – Dancing Satyr of Mazara del Vallo – is about 2400 years old and was made before the art of bronze-making was lost due to the obliteration of many skills as part of the razing of the Roman Empire.  A fisherman brought it up in his nets, upright, and, instead of selling it for a fortune gave it to his village where it’s mostly held when it’s not on tour – it’s in the US at the moment.

Thanks to Jeni who sent me the photos and is showing these statues and others to a tour group she is leading in Sicily – see more about Jeni and Academy tours here.