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This is the second precision minimalist restoration of a scene from the Minoan Miniature Frieze
Admirals Flotilla Fresco (see below) from Akrotiri. It depicts a large shipping scene from the center of the fresco. The work
was derived from multiple original sources but especially from the superb publication "The Wall Paintings of Thera" by Christos
Doumas. The focus of this view is on a variety of ship types which clearly shows the Minoans were well versed in the different
methods of propelling a ship across the sea including the use of the sail as the only means of power. The sailing ship's top
mast indicates a (most probably) bronze eye-ring fixture that supports the sail. To me the most puzzling parts of this
scene are the thin long poles(?) projecting from the stern turrets of some of the ships and the small figure on the right
of the base of the stern turret of the sailing ship. Could the function of the figure be to somehow control the lines to
the sail?
Other noteworthy aspects of the work center on the ship with 21 oars and prominent sun symbol on the side of it's hull in
the top left. This vessel must have been very large. If you assume a tight 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) for the rowing space
allotted to each oar, this results in 27.3 meters (89.6 feet) just for the assembly of oarsmen. This ship most probably
well exceeded 35 meters (~115 feet) in length with a maximum beam width of something like 7 to 9 meters (23 to 29.5
feet). This is significantly larger than Columbus' largest ship on the first voyage - his flag ship the Santa Maria. It
has been estimated at anywhere from 17.6 to 26.4 meters (57.7 to 86.6 feet) in length with a max. beam width of 5.9 to 7.9
meters (19.4 to 25.9 feet).
While it's highly decorated with sun-burst appearing floral ornaments, etc. for (probably) a celebration event related to
the sun goddess, it has four boar's tusk helmets adorning it under the awning shading its passengers. It could have three
more of these helmets on the ship's unrestored stern turret for a total of seven. As far as I can tell none of the other
ships in the flotilla has more than one helmet. This very large ship must have been something like what we would refer to
as the admiral's flag ship. Bronze Age boar's tusk helmets are symbols of war, conflict, and military power.
With the completion of this shipping scene about forty percent of the Miniature Frieze has now been fully restored using
the precision minimalist methodology. This experience has given me a deep respect and admiration for the original artist's
skill and technique. The Miniature Frieze is only 0.43 meters (~16.9 inches) high. To confine such an expansive scene in
a relatively small format must have been a very great challenge indeed. The rendering of the detail is so fine that if
only one artist was involved it must have taken many weeks to complete. With the obvious goal of telling the story of
the event as comprehensively and accurately as possible I've come to believe the artist(s) had a strong sense of the
achievement of excellence. This fresco would be a great masterpiece in art history if done by any artist in any time.
W. Sheppard Baird
This is the first precision restoration of a scene from the Miniature Frieze "Flotilla" Fresco. It depicts a detailed view of the ringed islands of Thera just before the great Bronze Age eruption of the Santorini marine volcano. It was derived from multiple original sources but especially from the superb publication "The Wall-Paintings of Thera" by Christos Doumas. While it represents a minimalist effort to accurately display the artist's original intention some areas of the fresco were so damaged that some degree of subjective interpretation was required to complete it. It clearly shows an inner island ringed by water in the middle of the caldera with a palace complex or town dominating the scene.
Fragments of this fresco (painted plaster) were discovered in the East Wing of the Palace of Knossos in the Courtyard of the Stone Spout during the excavations conducted by Arthur Evans between 1900 and 1904. The restored fresco is on display in Greece at the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete. It is 78.2 cm (30.8 inches) high and 104.5 cm (41.1 inches) wide. It is dated from the Middle Minoan (MM) III through to the Late Minoan IB period or perhaps later. It depicts what is thought to be a male acrobat vaulting over the back of an agressive charging bull accompanied by two female attendants positioned at the front and back of the bull. The attendant in front of the bull has its left horn in her grasp and the one at the rear appears to be preparing to catch the leaper at the end of his vault.
Pieces of this fresco were found in the East Wing's Residential Quarters of Knossos Palace in a room next to the Hall of the Double Axes which Arthur Evans named the Queen's Megaron. Other names associated with this section of the palace are the Queen's Apartment, the Queen's Hall, and the Dolphin Sanctuary. Evans thought of it as the Queen’s private reception room. Combining dolphins, fish and sea urchins it's one of Knossos’ most distinctive frescoes. It was restored by the artist Piet de Jong between 1922 and 1930. The original restoration is in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete. A replica of the fresco is displayed over the door on the north side of the room.
This fresco was found during the excavations conducted by Spyridon Marinatos from 1967 to 1974 at Akrotiri on the southern coast of the ringed islands of Santorini (the Pompeii of the Aegean) which was covered by thick deposits of ash and pumice from the great Bronze Age eruption of the Santorini volcano that occurred between 1627 and 1600 BC. It was discovered on the south wall of the west section of room 1 in the House of the Ladies and is 1.75 meters (5.7 feet) wide and 2.70 meters (8.9 feet) high. This exquisite fresco is on display at the P. M. Nomikos Exhibition Center's Thera Wallpainting Exhibition Hall in the town of Fira which houses all of the restored frescoes found during the excavations at Akrotiri.
This fresco was found during the excavations conducted by Spyridon Marinatos from 1967 to 1974 at Akrotiri on the southern coast of the ringed islands of Santorini (the Pompeii of the Aegean) which was covered by thick deposits of ash and pumice from the great Bronze Age eruption of the Santorini volcano that occurred between 1627 and 1600 BC. It was discovered on the south wall of room 1 in the Beta Building and is 0.94 meters (3.1 feet) wide and 2.75 meters (9.0 feet) high. This exquisite fresco is on display at the P. M. Nomikos Exhibition Center's Thera Wallpainting Exhibition Hall in the town of Fira which houses all of the restored frescoes found during the excavations at Akrotiri.
This fresco was found during the excavations conducted by Spyridon Marinatos from 1967 to 1974 at Akrotiri on the southern coast of the ringed islands of Santorini (the Pompeii of the Aegean) which was covered by thick deposits of ash and pumice from the great Bronze Age eruption of the Santorini volcano that occurred between 1627 and 1600 BC. It was discovered on the west wall of room 1 in the Beta Building and is 2.0 meters (6.6 feet) wide and 2.75 meters (9.0 feet) high. This exquisite fresco is on display at the P. M. Nomikos Exhibition Center's Thera Wallpainting Exhibition Hall in the town of Fira which houses all of the restored frescoes found during the excavations at Akrotiri.
This exquisite fresco was found during the excavations conducted by Spyridon Marinatos from 1967 to 1974 at Akrotiri on the southern coast of the ringed islands of Santorini (the Pompeii of the Aegean) which was covered by thick deposits of ash and pumice from the great Bronze Age eruption of the Santorini marine volcano that occurred between 1627 and 1600 BC. It was discovered on the south wall of room 5 in the West House and is 3.90 meters (12.8 feet) wide and 0.43 meters (16.9 inches) high. This fabulous fresco is on display at the P. M. Nomikos Exhibition Center's Thera Wallpainting Exhibition Hall in the town of Fira which houses all of the restored frescoes found during the excavations at Akrotiri. It is considered the single most valuable source for information on the life and technology of the Bronze Age Aegean ever found.
The first fragments of the "Feathered Prince" fresco were found during Evans' excavation near the south entrance to the central court of the palace at Knossos on May 11, 1901. It was restored by the artist Emile Gilliéron in 1905. The original restoration is in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete. A replica of the fresco is on display at Knossos near to where its fragments were found. The fresco's young male figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist is dressed in a type of kilt similar to those worn in the "Bull Leaping" fresco and a crown of lilies and peacock feathers. He is also adorned with a necklace of golden lilies. The figure is thought to be leading a griffin or sphinx by the rope in his left hand through a field of lilies.
"Original" Minoan Octopus Fresco
Late Bronze Age (LBA)
Late Minoan Period
Knossos, Crete, Greece
A replica of this fresco is displayed in the "Loggia" (a light-well open to the air) directly above the Throne Room in the West Wing of Knossos palace. The original restoration is in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete. On the south side of the Throne Room is a room behind a balustrade with three wooden columns and a short flight of six steps leading down to a sunken floor. Arthur Evans called these sunken rooms "Lustral Basins". He assumed they were filled with water for use in ritual cleansing. But since his time this has fallen into question. Directly above the Lustral Basin was a light-well with an opening in the ceiling that probably extended to the roof of the palace. The floor above the basin where the Octopus fresco is displayed allowed for the observation of whatever occurred below to be viewed from overhead. During Evans' excavation several objects and pieces of crystal and gold were found in the basin that they believed had fallen from above.
The focus of this closeup view of the Miniature Frieze Admirals Flotilla Fresco is the large ship in its center section. It's powered by 21 oars on each side of the ship (42 oars total). It must have been a very large ship indeed. It depicts various decorations as if for a festival and appears to be carrying dignitaries from Thera to the northern coast of Crete.
Pieces of this fresco were found during Evan's excavation in the west wing of the Palace of Knossos and was later restored by Emile Gilliéron. His original restoration is in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Heraklion, Crete. The three white-skinned female figures with narrow waists and beautifully coiled hairstyles in this fresco are wearing form-fitting dresses with bare breasts. They are elaborately adorned with delicate necklaces, bracelets, and hair ornaments in a display of the great wealth of the Minoan court.
"Original" Minoan Dolphins Fresco
Late Bronze Age (LBA)
Late Minoan Period
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Copyright © 2009 W. Sheppard Baird
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Boxing Boys Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Dolphins Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Miniature Frieze Shipping Scene
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Antelope Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Sea Daffodils 'Lilies' Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Bull Leaping Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Minoan Thera Scene Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Women "Ladies in Blue" Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Octopus Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Miniature Frieze Ship Closeup
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Feathered Prince
'Priest King' Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Miniature Frieze Fresco
in Three Panels
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Blue Monkeys Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Dancer Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Lady with Papyri Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Adorants Fresco Closeup
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
La Parisienne Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Assembly on Hill Shipwreak Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Fisherman Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
River Scene Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Saffron Gatherers Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Boxing Boys Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Spring Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Flying Fish Fresco
Phylakopi, Milos, Greece
Fresco Exhibition
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Bull Leaping Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Dolphins Fresco
Knossos, Crete, Greece
Antelope Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Sea Daffodils Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Minoan Thera Scene Fresco
Akrotiri, Santorini, Greece
Dolphins Fresco Scene
Knossos, Crete, Greece
