Suspended in motion, this ivory acrobat from the Palace of Knossos, on Crete, the legendary home of King Minos, glides effortlessly through the air. The lithe figure, measuring 11.5 inches long, still displays some of its original, delicate sculpting, with swelling arm muscles, distinct facial features and a carefully modelled ear. The 16th-century B.C. figurine was discovered with fragments of faience (earthenware decorated with opaque glazes) bulls under a staircase in the palace, excavated in the early 20th century by the British archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans. According to Greek tradition, Minos ruled his Aegean Sea empire from here. Although […]
