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bronze oil lamp with Oedipus and the sphinx
£185.00
The central image (transposed here into bronze) is from the tondo of a red-figure kylix (drinking cup) by the Oedipus painter. Oedipus ponders the riddle of the sphinx, which was: 'What walks on four legs at dawn, two at noon and three at dusk?' (Man) Oedipus solved the riddle and the sphinx, in despair at being outwitted, hurled herself from a rock to her death. The original is in the Vatican Museum and dates to ca 500BC. Length: 25cm
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about the bronzes in this collection
The bronze pieces are cast in Greece using the traditional lost wax method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in texture, patina, and colour. No two pieces are ever the same. If mounted on a marble base, it will be a black or very dark grey base. There may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time. It's All Greek is so grateful and so proud to have been working closely with the Semitekolo family foundry since 1999. It has been a privilege and a joy to handle, live with, and photograph these gorgeous pieces and to pass them on to customers all over the world. |
about the sphinx
Symbol of mystery. The hybrid mythical sphinx had the face of a woman, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird of prey.
In Greek mythology, the enigmatic sphinx was associated with Oedipus, to whom she posed her famous riddle. In Egyptian mythology, the sphinx was the guardian of sacred places.