Another Barbie Myth

The Judgement of Paris this time, with an enlarged cast of plastic people. We photographed the figures against a blue felt display board, so we could edit them more easily (and then we never did).

Firstly, here's Hermes, messenger of the gods, bringing the Golden Apple to Paris.



Here are the three goddesses, lining up for the beauty competition:



Hera, in queen-of-the-gods kit (the dress is really more purple than it looks!)



Athena, with helmet and aegis made of copper foil. The crest is made of paintbrush bristles. I probably should have used Barbie-hair. There was plenty about; we had to crop Athena's hair to fit the helmet on...



Aphrodite, with gold necklace made from a flattened hoop earring I found in a car park. Her diaphanous garment is stuck on with double sided tape.



Paris eyeing up Aphrodite before picking her as the winner. He is clutching one of his sheep (for reassurance only). He refused to stand up, so we had to pin his feet to the table. He can be Oedipus next time round!

"Roman" artefacts, part 2

A few more bits from the 'Roman' cupboard. I like to pick up Roman-looking stuff from charity shops and car boot sales as well as making things.



The torc is made from rope twisted over a wire core. I think it was an old school skipping rope. The ends are stitched and bound with thread. Then I put several coats of gold Meltdown paint on it.





The drinking cup is one of those pots that have expensive chocolate mousse in, I think. (This one came from Oxfam). I was ticked off for drawing wine cups with stems in one of the drafts of Minimus, so I made a point of looking out the other sort. I have to hide it at school because the kitchen keeps a whole lot like this for salad dressing.












This weird glass cup might have a stem but it does look like onyx, so I couldn't turn it down. It's one of a set from Oxfam or somewhere like that. Just the thing for the upper-class triclinium.















My elegant spoon turned up at a jumble sale. It looks pretty Roman to me.









The cooking pot was made by a local pottery for baking bread in. I think Candidus would use it for porridge or something, because Roman bread was flat-bottomed. The only time I tried baking bread according to a Roman recipe, it turned out very flat and rock hard (it tasted good, though). I may need to rethink my cooking methods. I may need to let other people do the cooking.




I found this glass in an Italian supermarket. It's cast in a mould, exactly like real Roman glass. It wasn't as expensive, though.