ArtofACOdyssey 2: Architectural Decoration in Megara

 

Fountain in Megara. Screenshot from Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey (Ubisoft 2018).

Are you all ready for Day 2 of #ArtofACOdyssey? Today I finally made it off of Kefalonia and sailed my fancy new ship to the mainland where I found these lion head waterspouts in Megara. This particular fountain arrangement was probably inspired by scenes like the one on this hydria in the MET. Lion heads weren’t just for fountains either. As you can see in the reconstruction drawing of the Stoa at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on Samothrace, they could also aid in roof drainage.

You probably noticed the lovely gilded marine life as well. These don’t appear to have come from any one source, but the octopus and striped fish in the upper left are very similar to those on an Apulean fish plate (workshop of Asteas/Python, c. 340-330 BCE) in the Toledo Museum. 

Rear wall of a fountain house in Megara. Screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey (Ubisoft 2018).  

 

Originally posted on Twitter, October 8 2018.

 

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