Roman art, Agathodaimon (1st century AD; fresco; Pompeii, Archaeological Park, Casa del Criptoportico)
Agathodaimon , or " Agatodemon" in Italian, was according to Greek mythology a good demon (this literally means his name in Greek), and was considered a genius who protected wheat and crops. He could take on different appearances: in many cases he was depicted as a snake with a crowned head, which sometimes bore a lotus flower in its tail. In the case of the fresco decorating the House of the Cryptoporticus in Pompeii, the Agatodemon is simply a snake crawling across a meadow and addressing the god Mercury. The god holds the caduceus in his hand, the stick adorned with two snakes, a symbol of wisdom (still today the caduceus is a symbol of pharmacists as it is associated with healing, not to be confused with the staff of Asclepius which is instead associated with medicine). Complete thesymbolism the peacock, symbol of longevity and rebirth. The House of the Cryptoporticus of Pompeii takes its name from the covered corridor ("cryptoporticus", in fact) which is in turn decorated with fantastic creatures: satyrs, in this case.
Δεν υπάρχουν σχόλια:
Δημοσίευση σχολίου