I visited a friend fairly recently and, even though I don’t generally take note of such things, I became interested by his decor. The style was something he described as steam punk, a sort of futuristic Victorian, which seemed like it came directly from Jules Verne, a sort of Captain Nemo meets Robur the Conqueror, all shining brass, leather, futuristic technology, and clockwork. My friend’s variation was a lot more ‘Indiana Jones’, with his steamer trunk table, collection of intriguing artifacts, sculpture and intriguing ancient wall reliefs.  It went together with his house, originally constructed in the 1920’s and made a comfortable, fascinating interior well suitable for his massive collection of books.

My home is instead more contemporary, so when I pondered options for furnishing my den (something I was informed was ‘up to me’) I rejected the steam punk idea. While I’m no interior designer I can tell that a certain proportion between interior and outside is beneficial. While modern homes are roomy they are often really dull, then i noticed this gave me a lot more range to stamp my own personality on the room, and that notion gave me the concept to use wall art and wall sculptures to provide my room some personality, but what would work best?

Ancient Greek structures were not what we see today. Many people realize that they were stunning structures which stood, in many cases for centuries, before suffering damage we know now, but do you  know that they had been colorful?  You probably would not think so to examine the remains inside a museum. I used to eat my lunch while appreciating the huge Assyrians gateways in the British Museum in London,  just near room 18, home of the ‘Elgin marbles’. These famous sculptures were taken off the Parthenon in the initial years of the 19th century by Earl of Elgin,  the Greek government continues seeking to get them returned to Greece.  The sculptures are stark, white and incredibly stunning, exactly what we think of whenever we think ‘classical art’ but exactly what would the ancients have thought of these? Euripides provide us with a clue in his play ‘Helen of Troy’ when Helen says ‘If only I could shed my beauty and assume an uglier aspect, the way you wipe paint off a statue’. Those beautiful marble statues in their sparkling white were once bright and multi-colored. So distinctive from what we see now and associate with the ancient world, it’s truly difficult to envision.

We look at the ancient gods as abstract, the result is that historical wall sculptures like Poseidon in his chariot are ‘classical’ and perfectly at home in a modern room. It was only at the Renaissance that, discovering classical statues stripped of their color by time, the sculptors thought they’d originally been white marble, and attempted to emulate them.   In antiquity the Greeks believed in living breathing Gods;their statues were colored brightly in order to reflect that. Although we enjoy the awesome craftsmanship of the Parthenon sculptures the ancients admired their lifelike quality so much so it was said that at certain times of the day it was as if the gods in their friezes actually moved. The statues and painting methods were made to bond and boost the three dimensional quality of the stone, bringing the subject alive. Archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann is working hard to analyse ancient statues and create authentic reproductions. These, detailed with complex paint techniques and colors are as close as it can be to those found in ancient times and the final results are intriguing; the ancient world won’t ever appear the same again.

So what should I do? I could choose time-honored Greek wall art that will create a modern room, making my personal choice on a basis of symbolism. Hercules wrestling the lion could remind me that even if my todo checklist is often a bit lengthy, it isn’t the Labours of Hercules, while Dionysus on a donkey might point out to me the point of work is to pay for the enjoyment in the future. As an inhabitant of the New World I could turn to Mayan wall reliefs, but I believe my choice will be more ancient still. From Ramses who drove out the Hittites at the Battle of Kadesh, to the concept of Maat,  goddess of justice and order, the wall sculptures of the Ancient Egyptians carry a never-ending captivation. We’re much more accustomed to coloration when it comes to Egypt, and hence observe these more as they really were, vibrant and brilliant in the desert sun.  Egyptian decor could definitely work.

For my Den the primary options are obvious; Thoth, the god of writing and wisdom, to help keep me right always!