Marcus Aurelius on his Horse (175 C.E.)

I think that as the new year opens that one thing I want to focus at least a little bit on is what is good in the world.  There is a lot wrong, but especially when the going gets tough, it is important to admit that there is a lot to be thankful for and to appreciate.  I have been doing that at least once a week, and hope to keep it up as the year progresses.  SOme of the art may be more what others would call crafts, as I do a bit of crafting myself, and my youngest son is taking a class in Native North American Art, and I have always loved that and will not be able to resist showing some off.
In any case, I have been mostly showing off ancient art, and this is one of my favorite pieces from a recent trip to Rome.  It is in the Capitoline Museum, right off the Roman Forum, and it is magnificent.  Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher emperor, is depicted upon his horse in a larger than life piece, one of a handful of bronze pieces from the ancient world to survive (many of them were retrieved from the Mediterranean, as sinking them saved them from being melted down).  Both man and horse look so real, so alive that it is breathtaking to behold.  Nothing about my photo really captures that, so you really must see it.