Dumbarton Oaks collections from Late Antiquity

 My good friend Allan Gluck, who recently moved to the east coast, just sent me some of his images of antiquities that he photographed at Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington DC. Dumbarton Oaks is noted for its collection of items from late antiquity and I found this chalcedony cameo mounted in gold and dated to 300 CE particularly interesting. It depicts two Roman emperors thought to be the eastern emperors Diocletian and Galerius. Diocletian is the taller, bearded individual placed in the position of seniority in front of his junior emperor, Galerius. It is thought originally this piece was part of a larger cameo which included the two Western emperors, Maximian and Constantius Chlorus.

Chalcedony cameo depicting two Roman emperors thought to be Diocletian and Galerius at the Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington D.C. courtesy of Allan Gluck.

He also photographed this striking  tesselated mosaic of Apollo, late Roman, 3rd- 4th century CE. The museum curator observed that Apollo is wearing a laurel wreath, possibly in remembrance of his pursuit of Daphne who turned herself into a laurel tree to escape his unwanted advances:

Mosaic of a laurel-crowned Apollo in the collections of the Dumbarton Oaks Museum in Washington D. C. courtesy of Allan Gluck

One of the most beautiful sculptures I have ever seen in all of my travels is Bernini's "Apollo and Daphne" that I was so fortunate to see at the Villa Borghese in Rome in 2009!

Apollo and Daphne by Bernini on display at the Gallery Borghese courtesy of Wikimedia Commons contributor Architas.

This is a wonderful photo of the piece by Wikimedia Commons contributor Architas, although the sculpture appears almost transluscent when you view it in person. I wish I could have photographed it but in 2009, the Borghese was still prohibiting photography.

Another of Bernini's amazing sculptures, The Rape of Proserpine, is also displayed at the Borghese.

The Rape of Proserpine (Persephone) by Hades beautifully sculpted by Bernini, now on display at the Gallery Borghese.  Image courtesy of the Borghese.

I am struck by similarities in attitude between Daphne and Persephone (Proserpine). One just seems to be a reverse pose of the other although I must admit Persephone is portrayed with a more mature body than Daphne. With the obviously more mature bearded Hades of the sculpture, Bernini probably intentionally attempted to minimize any modern repulsion of a lecherous "old" man forcing himself on a much younger woman. Imagine how repulsive some would find the sculpture if Persephone was portrayed as innocently youthful as Daphne.

My Facebook friend, Jansen Standt, pointed out to me that the Princeton University Art Museum also houses a magnificent mosaic depicting a fleeing Daphne with boughs sprouting from her attempting to escape Apollo's embrace. 

Third century CE Roman mosaic depicting a transforming Daphne attempting to escape the embrace of Apollo. Image courtesy of the Princeton University Art Museum.

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