| CENTAUR |
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carrying off woman |
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Centaur Nessus & Deianeira, wife of Heracles/Hercules |
| CENTURION |
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Bearded male, especailly in a jugate composition with a woman behind |
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a hero of the Trojan War, exact identity not always clear |
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Beardless male, short curls showing, especially if spear showing |
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Mars/Ares |
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Long hair straying out from ornate helmet
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Athena/Minerva, may also be wearing jewelry or have braids tied under chin |
| CHAIR |
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a throne, generally only royalty sit raised from ground |
| CHARIOT |
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2 horses |
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a biga; most often driven by Nike or Mars/Ares; less often, Aurora/Eos see also Days of the Week
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3 horses |
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a triga, not characteristic of any particular figure, but sometimes seen on an ambitious Nike or lazy Apollo
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4 horses |
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a quadriga; most often driven by Apollo, except when scene is clearly terrestrial with mortal, anonymous charioteer see also Days of the Week
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drawn by 2 women |
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1 standing passenger: Luna/Diana being drawn by nymphs or Hours see also Days of the Week; 2 seated passengers, Cupid on shaft: Aurora & Cephalus (Tithonus?)
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drawn by cocks |
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Mercury/Hermes see also Days of the Week
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drawn by doves |
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Venus see also Days of the Week
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drawn by eagles |
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Zeus/Jove see also Days of the Week
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drawn by lions |
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2 lions: Cybele's chariot, sometimes driven by other figures; 4 lions: Aequitas |
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drawn by winged serpents |
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Saturn see also Days of the Week
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drawn in water |
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woman: Amphitrite, Venus, Galatea; sometimes Cupid |
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scallop shell |
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Venus, sometimes Cupid |
| CLOUDS |
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usually stylized swirls around bottom of figure or scene, indicating the location is Mt. Olympus; in Christian scenes: heaven |
| COLUMN(S) |
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Short |
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see plinth |
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Framing scene |
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setting is a palace |
| CONQUISTADOR |
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see CENTURION |
| CORNUCOPIA |
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horn of plenty |
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Tyche/Fortuna; can be confused with a torch |
| CREATURES |
Mythical |
dog, 2 heads |
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Orthrus or Orthus (also Orthros, Orthos) dog of tiple bodied giant Geryon, slain by Hercules |
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dog, 3 headed |
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Cerberus, guardian of the gates of Hades |
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dragon, winged serpent |
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St. George; Perseus; draft animal of Saturn's chariot; sometimes on helmet of Minerva/Athena |
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eagle + lion |
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gryphon, griffin, griffon
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goat + fish |
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Capricornus, Aigipan |
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horse + fish |
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hippocampus (horse + sea monster), pl. hippocampoi |
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horse, winged |
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Pegasus |
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lion+ goat + snake |
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Chimaera |
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man + bull head |
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Minotuar, bull of Minos |
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man + fish |
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Triton, triton |
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man + goat |
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Pan, faun, satyr, silenus |
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man + horse |
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centaur |
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man + horse + fish |
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ichthyocentaur |
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woman + bird |
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harpy; siren |
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woman + lion |
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Sphinx, pl., sphingai
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| CROSS/CRUCIFIX |
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a number of saints have a cross or crucifix as one of their symbols, including Mary Magdalen & St. Thérèse de Lisieux |
| CROWN |
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generally, royalty, a ruler among gods or mortals |
| DANCING |
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3 women |
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Three Graces; individual figures may be bacchantes or simply dancers, usually indicated by being on tiptoe |
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women holding hands |
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Hours surrounding the Chariot of the Sun; Wedgwood "Dancing Hours" |
| DIADEM |
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worn by female divinities & semi-divinities, lower than the polos, plain edge; a stephane |
| DRINKING VESSELS |
Stemmed |
no handles |
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a kantharos: for drinking wine; often in scenes with Bacchus/Dionysus or his revels; generally indicates the enjoyment/celebration of wine |
| FAIRY(IES) |
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winged, floating in air |
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Cupid; Psyche; Aurora/Eos; nymph; fairies only appear on some quite modern cameos |
| FEATHER |
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check Ceres to see if it's really wheat |
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pretty lady, long hair up: consider art nouveau; in headband of woman with short hair: 1920s flapper |
| FEATHER PEN |
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see quill pen |
| FIRE |
Brazier/tripod |
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element in scenes of ritual, sacrifice or prophecy |
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Hearth |
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Goddess Vesta/Hestia |
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Torch |
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carried by Cupid: for inflaming the passions; carried by Genius of Light or eagle in company of Day or Aurora/Eos: daylight, daybreak, dawn |
| FLOWERS |
Corsage on shoulder, head |
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anonymous beauty; a style popular in the 1930s |
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Lily |
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associated with Gabriel, Angel of the Annunciation |
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Mixed |
carried or strewn |
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Aurora/Eos or Spring |
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worn in hair
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trailing down: goddess Flora; if also mixed with stalks of wheat: Ceres
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Roses |
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may be added to almost any female figure; particularly associated with Mary & St. Therèse de Lisieux; Apollo also sometimes wreathed with roses |
| GLADIATOR |
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see centurion |
| GLOBE |
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woman with laurel wreath: Muse Urania |
| HALO |
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a circle of light just above the head indicating a saint, including archangels; not the same as the lines radiating from Apollo or other bringers of light |
| HAND(S) |
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1 holding flower(s) or 2 clasped |
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friendship |
| HELMET |
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helmets are worn by the gods Athena/Minerva/Roma & Mars/Ares; Trojan War heroes |
| HORNS |
Goat's |
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Pan; faun |
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Ram's, curled |
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Alexander the Great; Ammon Zeus
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| JAR |
2-handled |
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an amphora: for holding liquids, especially wine |
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Large, handled |
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a container for wine, seen in revel or offering scenes |
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Small, lidded |
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sometimes seen with Psyche; the container for the dab of Proserpina's beauty/perfume she must bring to Venus |
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Water |
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woman holding or offering to man: Rebecca at the Well
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| KNEELING |
Girl/Woman |
with bird |
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Hebe |
| KNIGHT |
Bust |
bearded |
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a hero |
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no beard |
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Athena/Minerva, will usually have other indications figure is female, such as jewelry or very long hair; monster on helmet: Perseus |
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On horse |
dragon |
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St. George; an Amazon
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