Terracotta statuette of a man riding a donkey

Terracotta statuette of a man riding a donkey

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The man steadies two large jars that are fastened in front of him on either side of the animal's back. The jars are types that would hold wine or olive oil. The statuette captures what would have been a frequent sight, not only in ancient Cyprus but also for centuries thereafter.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Terracotta statuette of a man riding a donkeyTerracotta statuette of a man riding a donkeyTerracotta statuette of a man riding a donkeyTerracotta statuette of a man riding a donkeyTerracotta statuette of a man riding a donkey

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.