Pagan Statues

[CS937]

Hey! Is it okay to own statues of gods from mythology, like Athena or Anubis? I'm not talking about using them for worship, of course, but  to own them as decorative pieces. Thanks! 

[Archaeology cat]

I’m an archaeologist (well, I was one) and I own replica papyri with Osiris and Anubis. Don’t know if that helps you.

[CS937]

8 hours ago, Archaeology cat said:

I’m an archaeologist (well, I was one) and I own replica papyri with Osiris and Anubis. Don’t know if that helps you.

Thanks! That does help. I recently had a few of my Catholic friends tell me that it's a sin to have pagan statues in your home. 

[Nihil Obstat]

Probably prudent to consider the source and the overall effect.

Buying an historical replica because you have an interest in the topic or its artistry? Cool. Classical mythology has been a source of inspiration for some incredible artwork throughout history, but especially in the Renaissance, Baroque, and Academic periods. For example there's a local antiques dealer near me that has had an absolutely beautiful bronze Diana figurine on display for a few years now, and I would buy it in a heartbeat if I could afford to drop five grand on art right now.

Buying from Heathenism-R-Us mail order catalogue that supplies Baphomet statues and pentagram altars for black masses because you like the 【 ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ】? Maybe not so cool.

[Norseman82]

Play it safe.  Don't.  It could also be an occasion for scandal.  

[Nihil Obstat]

On 10/1/2022 at 12:02 PM, Norseman82 said:

Play it safe.  Don't.  It could also be an occasion for scandal.  

Tell that to Michelangelo.

[CS937]

On 9/27/2022 at 4:02 PM, Nihil Obstat said:

Probably prudent to consider the source and the overall effect.

Buying an historical replica because you have an interest in the topic or its artistry? Cool. Classical mythology has been a source of inspiration for some incredible artwork throughout history, but especially in the Renaissance, Baroque, and Academic periods. For example there's a local antiques dealer near me that has had an absolutely beautiful bronze Diana figurine on display for a few years now, and I would buy it in a heartbeat if I could afford to drop five grand on art right now.

Buying from Heathenism-R-Us mail order catalogue that supplies Baphomet statues and pentagram altars for black masses because you like the 【 ａｅｓｔｈｅｔｉｃ】? Maybe not so cool.

Thanks for your response! I purchased a small statue of Athena at a charity shop awhile back (I keep it in my study) for only $5! I later found out that it's made out of alabaster and handmade in Greece. You can find it online for $55. https://www.amazon.com/Estia-Creations-Goddess-Strategy-Sculpture/dp/B06XC87WBN 

[Nihil Obstat]

Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
    But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
            Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
 

[Credo in Deum]

I don't think there is anything against it, however, given that these "gods" represent devils, I personally wouldn't let them have a place in my home. I also agree that it could give scandal to those who visit your home, giving guests the wrong impression of the Catholic faith.  I absolutely disagree with Nihil's use of Michelangelo's Delphic Sibyle, since Michelangelo included her as a part of a larger context of the Sistine Chapel. 

"In one glorious motion Delphica turns toward us, her eyes looking in the direction of the Judith scene, her mouth open in a cry of wonder, her hair and cloak blown by what has been described as the wind of the Spirit. As she listens to the words read into her ear by one beautiful attendant putto from a book upheld by the other, she rolls up almost unconsciously the scroll of her prophecies as if it were no longer of any meaning" -- Source: https://www.michelangelo.org/the-delphic-sibyl.jsp

 

 

This is not the same as a Catholic having a pagan statue with zero context as to why within the setting of their home. 

 

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by Credo in Deum

[Nihil Obstat]

How about Botticelli? Are Primavera and The Birth of Venus scandalous pagan idols? Or are they masterpieces which represent some of the greatest artistic genius of which man, by the grace of God, is capable? His religious work is equally spectacular - is it the work of a rank idolator?

Was Bouguereau causing great scandal by painting The Abduction of Psyche or Flora and Zephyr, or his own Birth of Venus? Is it balanced out by his Queen of the Angels or his Pieta? Masterpieces, all of them.

There is nothing inherently scandalous in the artistic depiction of classical subjects.

[little2add]

Faith is in the eye of the beholder.

[Credo in Deum]

17 hours ago, Nihil Obstat said:

How about Botticelli? Are Primavera and The Birth of Venus scandalous pagan idols? Or are they masterpieces which represent some of the greatest artistic genius of which man, by the grace of God, is capable? His religious work is equally spectacular - is it the work of a rank idolator?

Was Bouguereau causing great scandal by painting The Abduction of Psyche or Flora and Zephyr, or his own Birth of Venus? Is it balanced out by his Queen of the Angels or his Pieta? Masterpieces, all of them.

There is nothing inherently scandalous in the artistic depiction of classical subjects.

I think you're making a false equivalency here because we're not discussing what Catholic artists should or should not paint, but what is prudent in terms of decor for the Catholic laity in their homes. I acknowledged earlier that there is nothing particularly wrong with it. However, I think the possibility of scandal should make one think about whether it is prudent to put such items in your home, at the very least, whether you should put them in the public spaces of the home. 

Edited October 8, 2022 by Credo in Deum

[Nihil Obstat]

2 hours ago, Credo in Deum said:

I think you're making a false equivalency here because we're not discussing what Catholic artists should or should not paint, but what is prudent in terms of decor for the Catholic laity in their homes. I acknowledged earlier that there is nothing particularly wrong with it. However, I think the possibility of scandal should make one think about whether it is prudent to put such items in your home, at the very least, whether you should put them in the public spaces of the home. 

I do not think that is a false equivalency. How many people are inspired to burn incense to Venus after a stroll through the Uffizi? I would predict that number to be hovering around zero. Where is the scandal? How is it more scandalous in the home as opposed to a gallery?

If someone builds a temple to Venus and buys up all of the artwork depicting her, then we can talk about scandal.

On a more realistic level, I think that cultivating and celebrating good taste is potentially an act of virtue. We live in an increasingly progressivist society which ignores or minimizes the classics when they have the gall not to conform to the new materialist subjective orthodoxy. In consciously elevating the best examples of classical art, we can offer a potent reminder of the inherent worth of tradition and cultural heritage. Now granted, a mass marketed statuette is not in itself a cultural treasure, but it does point towards those works on which it is based. Same as, perhaps, a photograph of a famous sculpture, or a printed reproduction of an oil painting.

Treasures ought to be displayed and honoured.

[Credo in Deum]

On 10/8/2022 at 4:05 PM, Nihil Obstat said:

I do not think that is a false equivalency. How many people are inspired to burn incense to Venus after a stroll through the Uffizi? I would predict that number to be hovering around zero. Where is the scandal? How is it more scandalous in the home as opposed to a gallery?

If someone builds a temple to Venus and buys up all of the artwork depicting her, then we can talk about scandal.

On a more realistic level, I think that cultivating and celebrating good taste is potentially an act of virtue. We live in an increasingly progressivist society which ignores or minimizes the classics when they have the gall not to conform to the new materialist subjective orthodoxy. In consciously elevating the best examples of classical art, we can offer a potent reminder of the inherent worth of tradition and cultural heritage. Now granted, a mass marketed statuette is not in itself a cultural treasure, but it does point towards those works on which it is based. Same as, perhaps, a photograph of a famous sculpture, or a printed reproduction of an oil painting.

Treasures ought to be displayed and honoured.

I like how you start by saying you don't think you're presenting a false equivalency but then say "now granted, a mass marketed statuette is not in itself a cultural treasure".  Wake up, friend.  The entire thread is about decorating your home in pagan nick-nacks.  No one is calling for classical pieces to be stripped away or for Michelangelos' work to be taken down or to ban people from owning pictures or oil paintings of such work.  

And you're right, we do live in an increasingly progressivist society which seeks to minimize the classics by pushing relativism.  A professed Catholic who displays pagan god nick-nacks in their homes, at first glance, doesn't really help fight against that ideology. 

 

 

[Nihil Obstat]

3 hours ago, Credo in Deum said:

I like how you start by saying you don't think you're presenting a false equivalency but then say "now granted, a mass marketed statuette is not in itself a cultural treasure".  Wake up, friend.  

 

 

I like how you managed to read that and still ignore what it said. ¯\_(ツ)_/ ¯