Chimera of arezzo history of computers

From an appreciation of a famous bronze imitation of the Chimaera d'Arezzo , an ancient Etruscan statue of the monster slain by Bellerophon:. This remarkably varied array offered a rare opportunity to compare and contrast how artists over the centuries used this metal, known for its malleability. Yet even in this feast for the eyes, a few stellar casts stood out.

One was the celebrated Chimera of Arezzo. Big and bold and dated to about B. New research has recently cast doubt on the age of its one rival for that title, Rome's She-wolf, which is now characterized by the Capitoline Museums, its home, as "fifth century B. Remarkably, the artist—or multiple craftsmen, as many scholars believe—who created this frightening concoction managed to make it look menacingly real.

Wounded on its left rear rump, the lion howls out in pain, and the goat's head lists to the left, bleeding from the neck in bronze drops of blood. It looks ready to pounce at an attacker. And perhaps it was.

Chimera of arezzo history of computers

According to legend, the chimera prowled the land of Lycia, now in Turkey, terrorizing inhabitants. Yet this piece, which stretches more than 4 feet in length and is the largest surviving representation of the Bellerophon myth, clearly stands on its own. From their base in what is today Tuscany, the Etruscans were active traders who knew and imbibed the artistic traditions and techniques of Egypt, Cyprus and other countries around the eastern Mediterranean rim.

As they developed their own art, they leaned toward the Greeks' naturalistic style. Catching the moment when the defiant monster is fighting for its life, the Chimera of Arezzo is a lean and savage beast, nearly starved for food. The skin is taut, revealing ribs and veins in the torso, muscles in the haunch and legs. The eyes have lost the inlays of another unknown material that once were there, but they still glare, heightening the tension created by the creature's aggressive pose.

At one time, the lion also had teeth, but they are hardly needed to convey the beast's ferocity. Throughout, the artist cleverly captures varying textures, such as the goat's smooth neck and the lion's hairy mane; details, such as its sharp claws and lined forehead; and, most of all, movement. The last alone distinguishes the Chimera from the more static She-wolf.

The artistry bolsters the theory of scholars that the Chimera had a religious purpose. As evidence, they cite the inscription on the beast's right foreleg, which translates as "for Tinia," who sat at the top of the Etruscan pantheon, the equivalent of Zeus and Jupiter. A chimera is a legendary, fire-breathing creature of Greek mythology that came from Lycia in Asia Minor.

This monster was said to have wreaked all kinds of havoc until Bellerophon, a hero from Corinth, mounted the winged horse Pegasus and slayed the chimera. The chimera is always portrayed as a hybrid creature with features of several animals. In this Etruscan bronze version, the chimera has the head and body of a lion, the tail of a snake, and a goat growing from the middle of its back.

The artist responsible for the Chimera of Arezzo has created a sophisticated, complex composition designed to be viewed in the round. Circling this roaring, fire-breathing beast, we appreciate its writhing body, its musculature, its sharp claws, its power, and dynamism. The chimera seems to be frozen in the midst of battle. The goat head has flopped over, mortally wounded, as thick droplets of blood gush from both sides of the neck.

All the same, mane bristling, the creature roars in defiance. The right foreleg of the animal has an Etruscan inscription on it that suggests this object was a votive offering to the Etruscan sky god, Tinia. We are left to wonder if an aristocratic family might have commissioned this work, one with enough wealth not only to afford this commission but also to donate it in a religious ritual that ended at the bottom of a pit.

The Chimera of Arezzo is a masterwork of Etruscan bronze, giving us a glimpse of the high level of technical proficiency that must have been a hallmark of so many other now-lost works of art. For smaller details, sculptors often made eyes out of glass and painted on body hair, clothing details, and skin color. Lost in antiquity, most historical knowledge of how certain bronze statues would have looked comes from studying surviving Roman marble copies.

Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Ancient Etruscan artwork. History [ edit ]. The Etruscans [ edit ]. The discovery [ edit ]. Iconography [ edit ]. Methods and materials [ edit ]. Gallery [ edit ]. Exhibitions [ edit ].

See also [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. World History Encyclopedia , 13 Jan. Paul Getty Museum.