the gift is timely

Written by thehouseofvines

Earlier in the month Petros (a good friend and regular commenter here) contacted me asking if I would be interested in a bust of Dionysos and Ariadne. His son is starting up a 3D-printing business and wanted to test some things out. So of course I said yeah, and the week of my birthday his precious gift arrived.

This turned out to be quite fortuitous, as I am currently in the process of remodeling my temple space. I got the inspiration to set up nine shrines rather than a single central one, each reflecting a different festival and the aspect of the God which presides over it. As the idol consists of Ariadne and Dionysos entwined this is a perfect representation for the Pannychia. 

dionysoariadne1

dionysoariadne2

dionysoariadne3

And here are some remarks Petros sent along with it:

I’m glad that the gift is timely! I offered some pine and cedar incense (I have no storax) and let the smoke flow around it and said the Day 6 prayers to Dionysos and Ariadne since that was the day of its completion. Seemed like the right thing to do.

[…]

It actually was pretty cool to watch its creation. Over 32 hours this intricate lattice work was made like scaffolding. When it was over, my son peeled it off like a hardboiled eggshell and Voila! This was within. It’s around 8 inches tall.

Once I have the nine shrines constructed and their idols properly installed I will share pics of my own.

Thank you Petros and son of Petros.

13 thoughts on “the gift is timely”

    1. I tried to find something for you too, but most of the Odin pieces were 2″ tall for gaming and the larger ones were “Marvelized”. There are just so many more Classical pieces in museums that have been scanned for this method of reproduction.

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      1. oh it’s REALLY hard to find a decent Odin and I”m very, very picky. Thank you though. :)

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        1. If I were a Heathen, I’d probably prefer one of those rustic pole carvings myself.

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          1. i’ve never been a particular fan of the rustic look. I prefer well carved/crafted statues. that’s not to say I don’t appreciate god-poles, but I prefer indoor shrines.

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      2. Beautiful work here, Retros!

        Do you know if there have been Antinous, Hadrian, Sabina, Polydeukion, and other such statues scanned that can then be printed? The head of Polydeukion at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor is one I’ve long hoped they would scan for this purpose, but many others would be great, too…?

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        1. Thank you!
          The site I use had busts and statues of Antinous and Hadrian. They had one of Polydeukion, but it is a reproduction of a noseless bust from Athens.
          Here are links:
          https://www.myminifactory.com/search/?query=Antinous
          https://www.myminifactory.com/search/?query=Emperor+Hadrian+
          https://www.myminifactory.com/object/3d-print-portrait-bust-of-polydeukion-44904
          If interested, keep in mind that my son’s printer is limited to pieces no taller than 9″. It’s a smaller model for household rather than industrial use.

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          1. Polydeukion’s nose, alas, has not done very well in almost any statue of him that has survived…the track record for him with noses is about as good as it is for penises with almost all male Greek nudes! :(

            But that is amazing! So, are any of those designs you sent links for scalable to up to 9″, or whatever the limits are depending on what printer one has?

            A few years ago, the Societas Magica folks did an exhibit of different magical objects, and they had several Piacenza livers (for Etruscan haruspicy!), which were life-sized, and they were able to get them printed in bronze! Pretty cool!

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  2. Have you watched 3D printing? There is a bit of Arachne, the Spinner involved in the making of 3D printed items. Peel back the outer casing and see what She’s held inside.

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    1. I hadn’t thought of an Arachne connection! It really is cool to watch and when it’s done, all you can do is peel off the outer layer and hope it worked.

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