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patrickkapty.bsky.social
Seated figure
terracotta, pigment
c. 200-400 CE
Zapotec culture
Oaxaca, Mexico

#handmade #ceramic #terracotta #pigment #sculpture #zapotecculture #oaxaca #mexico #mesoamerica #funeraryfigure #funeral #tomb #afterlife #death #religion #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #ancientsculpture #art
May 18, 2026 at 6:00 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Skull Mask
carved stone
Aztec (Mexica) culture
c. 1350-1520 CE
Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #mask #skull #Aztec #Mexica #culture #cdmx #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #ancientsculpture #precolumbianart #precolumbiansculpture #art #sculpture #ancientMexico #aztecmask
September 25, 2026 at 6:41 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Standing Figure
terracotta, pigment
c. 200 BCE to 600 CE
Colima culture
Colombia

#handmade #pottery #ancientpottery #terracotta #pigment #standingfigure #ColimaCulture #Colombia #sculpture #prehispanic #precolumbian #precolumbiansculpture #ancientsculpture #ritual #offering #ancientart #art #male
August 10, 2026 at 7:56 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Royal Profile
sandstone and pigment
650-800 CE
Late Classic Maya
Mexico

#royalprofile #Maya #mayanculture #mexico #mesoamerica #prehispanic #precolumbian #ancientart #ancientsculpture #mayanroyalty #profile #art #craft #stone #sculpture #ancientmexico #handmade #carved
April 27, 2026 at 6:58 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Seated Xochipili
carved basalt
c. 1325-1521 CE
Mexica (Aztec) culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #seated #Xochipili #Aztec #Mexica #god #flowers #music #art #precolumbian #prehispanic #lateclassic #period #ancientart #ancientsculpture #art #sculpture #precolumbianart #precolumbiansculpture
August 23, 2026 at 1:47 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Standing Female Figure
terracotta, pigments
c. 300 BCE - 300 CE
Nayarit culture
Western Mexico

#handmade #art #sculpture #ancientart #ancientsculpture #terracotta #standingfigure #woman #NayaritCulture #Mexico #Mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #shafttomb #bodypaint #predcolumbianart #offering
August 20, 2026 at 2:37 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Warrior Figure
ceramic, pigments
c. 600-900 CE
Maya culture
Jaina, Campeche
Mexico

#handmade #ceramic #earthenware #pigments #warrior #figure #Maya #culture #lateclassicperiod #jainaisland #campeche #mexico #mesoamerica #precolumbian #art #sculpture #prehispanic #ancientart #ancientsculpture #jaina
September 14, 2026 at 12:38 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
#mayanart #ceramic #figure #guatemala #teotihuacan #ancientart #mesoamerica #ancientsculpture #art #sculpture #mayansculpture #actionfigure
bvzw.bsky.social Bart van Zwieten @bvzw.bsky.social · May 22
Mayan ceramic figurine with a removable helmet from el Perú-Waka' in the Petén, Guatemala, 600-900CE, inspired by the style of Teotihuacan. The piece has garnered attention for resembling an ancient "action figure" due to its modular accessories. It technically represents a boxer or ritual warrior.
May 23, 2026 at 9:52 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Tlaloc Rain God Figure
ceramic, pigments
c. 600-1200 CE
Totonac culture
Veracruz, Mexico

#handmade #ceramic #pigments #sculpture #art #ancientart #ancientsculpture #Tlaloc #raingod #totonac #culture #precolumbian #prehispanic #veracruz #mexico #mesoamerica #religion #belief #fertility #crops #gods
September 18, 2026 at 6:01 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Cycladic Figures
marble
c. 2700-2300 BCE
Keros-Syros culture
Cyclades, Greece

#handmade #carved #stone #marble #threefigures #cycladicart #spedosvariety #bronzeagesculpture #cycladicsculpture #ancientart #ancientsculpture #cyclades #archipelago #greece #KerosSyros #culture #bronzeage #keros #syros
September 25, 2026 at 6:37 PM
archaeoten.bsky.social
Statue of Arthemis of Ephesus, II BC. National Archaeological Museum, Naples

#Archaeology #AncientSculpture #AncientArt #ClassicalArchaeology #ArthemisEphesia #AncientBlueSky
January 4, 2025 at 6:21 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Grasshopper Figure
carved hematite
c. 1800-1700 BC
Old Babylonian culture
Babylon

#handmade #carved #hematite #grasshopper #art #sculpture #ancientsculpture #ancientart #Babylonia #culture #Babylon #EuphratesRiver #nature #beauty #ancientBabylonia #fertility #omen #astrology #locusts #foodsource
In ancient Babylonia and the broader Mesopotamian culture, grasshoppers (and their swarming phase, locusts) held a multi-layered, dual meaning. They represented both a positive symbol of fertility and abundance and a destructive force of nature used in divination and dietary sustenance. In their solitary, non-destructive form, grasshoppers were viewed by Babylonians as symbols of the natural cycle, fertility, and abundance. Because they appeared in large numbers during agricultural cycles, they were tied to the life-giving forces of the earth. This famous example is a beautifully detailed, nearly 4,000-year-old Babylonian stone weight carved from hematite in the shape of a grasshopper (c. 1800–1700 BCE). Used in markets for fair trade transactions, the grasshopper shape on the weight likely invoked blessings of agricultural prosperity and nature. When solitary grasshoppers crowded together and transformed into swarming locusts, their meaning shifted drastically. To the Babylonians, a locust swarm was a catastrophic event that could strip fields bare and cause widespread famine. Babylonians were deeply invested in astrology and divination. Grasshopper and locust behavior was carefully documented in cuneiform omen series (such as the Šumma Ālu). A swarm of grasshoppers appearing in a specific city or flying in a particular direction was interpreted as a direct message or warning from the gods, usually predicting economic ruin, military invasion, or divine displeasure. Despite the threat they posed to crops, grasshoppers were heavily utilized by Babylonians in daily practical life. Babylonians actively harvested locusts and grasshoppers for food. Cuneiform records show that mass amounts of these insects were caught, preserved in brine, and transported over hundreds of kilometers to be eaten as a protein-rich delicacy or everyday staple.
September 30, 2026 at 3:56 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Anthropomorphic Figure
carved jade, cinnabar
c. 1800-1000 BCE
Olmec culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #jade #red #cinnabar #OlmecCulture #mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #art #religion #sculpture #ancientsculpture #transformation #shaman #shamanicritual #belief #culture #spiritual
Shown is a piece of anthropomorphic jadeite cast with Olmec iconography, bathed in cinnabria, the piece was found in a green stone box with needles of the same material. Private French collection.
September 24, 2026 at 5:04 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Maya censer stand
terracotta, pigments
c. 600-900 CE
Late Classic Mayan culture
Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico

#handmade #terracotta #pottery #pigments #censer #incensario #ritual #religion #mayanculture #mexico #mesoamerica #ancientart #ancientsculpture #art #sculpture #palenque #chiapas #precolumbian
May 18, 2026 at 6:16 PM
wasbellab102.bsky.social
#Terracotta #Army #Statues in #Xi'an #China By 征宇 郑
#Photography
#Artifacts
#AncientSculpture
#Antiquity
#Archaeology
July 1, 2025 at 3:02 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Mask of a King
carved jade
circa 900-600 BCE
Olmec culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #jade #olmec #mask #king #ancientart #art #precolumbianjade #ancientjade #mesoamerica #mexico #olmecculture #prehispanic #precolumbian #tribalart #tribal #c900BCE #ancientmexico #sculpture #ancientsculpture
May 25, 2026 at 1:54 PM
archaeoten.bsky.social
Spartan bass relief

#Archaeology #Art #ClassicalArchaeology #Sparta #AncientSculpture #materialculture #AncientArt #AncientBlueSky
December 31, 2024 at 1:01 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Ancient Greek Attic painted Marble Capital and Finial in the form of a seated Sphinx,
530 BC.

This extraordinary Ancient Sculpture said to have come from Kataphygi, Attica, Greece.

#ancientsculpture #ancientgreece #attica #kataphygi #seatedsphinx #marble #sculpture #handmade #art #ancientart
May 4, 2025 at 4:02 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Roman Dog Statuette
bronze
c. 100-300 CE
Ancient Rome

#handmade #cast #bronze #ancient #Rome #ancientart #ancientsculpture #art #sculpture #Romansculpture #dogsculpture #fidelity #loyalty #protection #guard #dog #hunting #deities #cerberus #religion #belief #culture #canine
September 20, 2026 at 1:37 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Zoomorphic Hacha
carved stone
c. 500-950 CE
Late Classic
Maya culture
Mexico

#handmade #carved #stone #hacha #zoomorphic #transformation #belief #ritual #mesoamerican #ballgame #Maya #culture #mexico #ancientart #ancientsculpture #ritualobject #ceremonial #precolumbian #prehispanic #art #sculpture
In ancient Mesoamerica (particularly in Maya and Classic Veracruz cultures), an hacha (Spanish for "axe") was a critical piece of ceremonial gear associated with the Mesoamerican ballgame. While lightweight wooden versions were likely worn on the players' heavy belts during active matches, these highly detailed stone replicas were carved for ritual displays, architectural integration, or dedication ceremonies.
September 20, 2026 at 1:44 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Buddha Shakyamuni
lotus position touching the earth
gilt copper alloy with inlay
13th-14th century CE
Khasa Malla Kingdom, Nepal

#buddha #buddhism #buddhistsculpture #ancientart #ancientsculpture #nepal #buddhashakyamuni #giltcopperalloy #inlay #meditation #callingearthtowitness #awakening #mudra
April 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Funeral Mask
copper, shell, pigments
c. 100-800 CE
Mochica (Moche) culture
Peru

#handmade #coppper #shell #pigments #Moche #Mochica #culture #Peru #mask #funeralmask #ancientart #art #sculpture #ancientsculpture #precolumbian #prehispanic #tribalart #tribalmask #shaman #transformation #jaguar
September 19, 2026 at 12:53 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Burial urn fragment
earthenware
c. 600-850 CE
K'iche' Maya
Guatemala

#handmade #earthenware #burialurn #fragment #kichemaya #guatemala #mesoamerica #mayanculture #mayanart #ancientart #ancientsculpture #funeral #funerary #burial #religion #belief #afterlife #death #precolumbian #prehispanic #art
This Mayan earthenware burial urn fragment from the Late Classic Period (600–850 CE) features a complex, deity-like mask and was likely created by the K'iche' Maya in Guatemala.The artifact likely served as part of a ceremonial censer stand, used by elites for religious rituals and incense burning. It is currently part of the collection at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, gifted by John Bourne.
June 4, 2026 at 7:05 PM
lronlacy.bsky.social
#wartime #WW2 #defenseindustry #trucks #manufacturing #illustration #illustrationart #illustrationartists #FredericTellander #ancientart #ancientNearEast #ancientsculpture #Persia #Iran
May 31, 2026 at 12:39 PM
patrickkapty.bsky.social
Fat Man figure
pottery, pigment
circa 600-800 CE
Maya culture
Jaina Island, Mexico

- the mythical Fat Man/God of the Maya!

#art #sculpture #handmade #pottery #Maya #mayanculture #jainaisland #mexico #mesoamerica #precolumbian #prehispanic #ancientart #ancientsculpture #fatman #fatgod #god #jester
This figurine is in the Jaina style, named after a small island off the coast of Campeche, Mexico. Jaina was a Maya center occupied from the Late Preclassic period (ca. 300 BCE–250 CE) to the Late Postclassic period (ca. 1200–1500 CE), with a peak population in the Late Classic (ca. 600–800 CE) and Terminal Classic (ca. 800–900 CE) periods. A large number of figurines and anthropomorphic whistles similar to this one have been recovered from the island. Like this example, figurines from Jaina are mold made, with individual details added by hand. They depict a variety of subjects, from seated young women to warriors to anthropomorphic beings. While many of these artifacts lack archaeological context, excavations have recovered figurines in the burials of adults and infants. Although this style of figurine is closely associated with Jaina Island, source testing of ceramic material in other museum collections indicates that Jaina-style figurines may have been produced and traded throughout Veracruz, Tabasco, Campeche, and Chiapas, Mexico. Jaina-style figurines seem to represent ideal “types” of people rather than individual portraits. The portliness of this figure, combined with his heavy jowls and protruding belly, suggest ties with the “Fat God,” a poorly understood character who appears throughout ancient Mesoamerican belief systems. Because his status as a deity is unclear, some scholars, such as archaeologist Christina Halperin, refer to him as the “Fat Man.” First appearing in art from the Preclassic period, the “Fat Man” is a common figurine subject, characterized by his corpulent stomach, sagging jowls, and closed, puffy eyes. The “Fat Man” is associated with humor and musical performance, and in the Classic period he may have been a ritual clown, much like the court jester in Medieval Europe. In some examples he wears a textured bodysuit, dances, and holds a fan.
March 30, 2026 at 3:03 PM