Images

This ancient masterpiece was found at Reerasta, Ardagh, Co. Limerick, Ireland. During the celebration of Mass, this chalis was used for dispensing Eucharistic wine. 8th century CE. (National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin, Republic...

Quartzite plaque with a sculptor's trial image of the god Horus as a falcon. From Memphis, Late Period, after 700 BCE. (National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin, Republic of Ireland)

A statue of the Hindu goddes Durga from her temple at Aihole, India. 6th century CE. The goddess holds her many weapons, rides her lion and is about to defeat the buffalo demon Mahisa (bottom right).

A ceiling decoration from a Jain temple in Ranakpur, Rajasthan, India. The knots represent the interlinking notion of karma.

Gold collar, Co. Clare, Ireland, c. 800-700 BCE. National Museum of Ireland-Archaeology, Dublin.

The bulls of Guisando are four zoomorphic sculptures carved in stone and located in the Ávila region (Spain). These bulls were carved by the Vetonians, one of the Celtic peoples who lived on the Iberian Peninsula before the Roman conquest...

This fragment of a Roman gravestone shows three legionaries. From Croy Hill, Scotland, 2nd century CE. (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK)

Vishnu is the supreme god "Svayam Bhagavan" of Vaishnavism. In addition, he is one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition; he is conceived as the preserver and the protector. Hindu art often depicts Vishnu with four arms...

In India, the lion is known as the Lord of Beasts and has royal associations. This marble white panel is an architectural figure from the base of an Indian temple. From India, 11th century CE. (National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh, UK)

With a lion's body and the wings and head of an eagle, the grffin encapsulates the majesty of both. At one time representing royalty, it gained the role of guardian. Griffins are used architecturally and can be found in domestic objects...