ALABASTER BASIN WITH RIVER GOD RELIEF, C2 CE. MUSÉE DU LOUVRE This stunning fountain basin was found in fragments at the base of the Aventine cliff not far from the Tiber riverbank in 1720. It was pieced back together for cardinal Alessandro Albani, the greatest collector of C18 Rome, and, along with a matching basin found nearby, was once one of two fountains along the great formal parterre of Villa Albani. The central relief shows the head of a river god, hair tossed and wet like his beard, eyes open. In fact the eyes are restorations, because originally water jets shot upward from them. The two basins were robbed from Villa Albani in 1803 by the Napoleonic army and never returned. The stone is a rare Egyptian gold alabaster.

For #ReliefWednesday, we're off to #Paris to see some #Napoleonic loot from the #VillaAlbani in #Rome: a magnificent #fountain in #gold #alabaster dating probably from the reign of #Hadrian. #AncientBluesky 🏺