Saturday 26 January 2013

Greek Horses


For eight weeks I have to take my son in to central London on Saturday morning, as he is doing what is called a mathematical masterclass at Gresham College. This is pretty exciting for both of us. I think I have mentioned that he is dyslexic, and struggles with much at school. But not maths, where apparently he is a bit of a whizz. So being picked by his school for this special course is really great for his self-esteem.

But I was also a bit worried about what I will do each week, for the 3 hours 30 minutes when he is doing maths. Although I live on the edge of London, it is quite unusual for me to spend time in the centre especially with nothing specific that I must do. 

Isn't the outside of The British Museum impressive, but I also love the view of the ceiling once you go inside? The modern and classic architecture has been combined in a really interesting way.


The British Museum is absolutely enormous, and full of antiquities from all over the world (which I'm not completely sure that we should have, but that is a whole blog post in itself). So what to photograph? I thought I had to limit myself a bit, and focus. My first idea was to look at the human form in different cultures. But even that would be a huge topic.

So puzzling what to do, I wandered into the Greek section, and was enchanted by these tiny metal animals, and the numerous animals paintings I found on pots. I came home with 84 pictures on my camera, so expect a few more museum posts. 



I  suppose the horses most associated with Ancient Greece, are the famous Trojan Horse, and also the winged horse, Pegasus. There are other grander and bigger horses in Greek art, but I love the elegant simplified forms of these little models, and paintings. You can really imagine the metal forms having been held and smoothed in a Greek hand all those years ago. Or the artist making the brush strokes on the pot. They look so fresh.





So expect a bit of history over the next few weeks, although I am also pondering if I could knit a Greek horse ...

15 comments:

  1. The British Museum is one of my favourite places! I skirt the question about whether some of the exhibits should be there at all by reminding myself I probably wouldn't have seen them otherwise and, if left in situ, they might well have been destroyed in various conflicts, but yes, that is another discussion.

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  2. What a wonderful exhibit! Artifacts like that are always so interesting, aren't they? I wonder who the people were who carved and painted them. So much history!

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  3. That is a fun and informative post! I like history!

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  4. I really love your horse theme and I'm looking forward to more from the British Museum. Are the Elgin marbles still there or were they returned?
    Congrats to your son, by the way, that's fantastic. As a mum, I think I know how you feel.

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  5. The horses are wonderful, but I really love the photo looking up at the atrium!!

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  6. Congratulations to your son for getting a place in the master class - and how lucky you are to be able to spend some time in the British Museum. My Snapshot is at http://goo.gl/GVIbC

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  7. Congratulations to your son for the distinct opportunity. Make the most of your time at the museum. Looks like an interesting place.

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  8. How wonderful for your son! I can't wait to see the rest of your photos! I loved the British Museum when I went there, and would love to go back again someday. There was really too much to take in in the few hours we spent there.

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  9. What a great way to spend those waiting hours, you're learning too. Congratulations to your son on his achievement.

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  10. A win-win situation - your son gets to have some special maths time and you get to have some special time to explore on your own :-)
    Love the horses...can't wait to see what comes along next week.

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  11. Mesmerizing 2nd photo, and I adore the Greek horses♫♪ Happy Week-end♥

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  12. Well done to your son. And it's great news for us as we get the photos- what an interesting post. I've never been there, but may later in the year.

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  13. Congratulations to your son! What a wonderful opportunity for you to visit some amazing places, make a list and go for it! Happy 100th Hanmade Monday, Jo x

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  14. Museums sound like a great way to spend the time while you wait. Congrats to your son for being chosen for the masterclass.

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  15. Love those primitive sculptures - I even painted two Etruscan horses on glass last year, so why can't you knit them too?

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