![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ef/Prince_of_the_Lilies%252C_Minoan_fresco_from_Knossos%252C_1550_BC%252C_AMH%252C_145372.jpg/640px-Prince_of_the_Lilies%252C_Minoan_fresco_from_Knossos%252C_1550_BC%252C_AMH%252C_145372.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Prince of the Lilies
Minoan mural painting from Knossos, Crete / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Prince of the Lilies?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Prince of the Lilies, or the Lily Prince or Priest-King Fresco, is a celebrated Minoan painting excavated in pieces from the palace of Knossos, capital of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization on the Greek island of Crete. The mostly reconstructed original is now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum (AMH), with a replica version at the palace which includes flowers in the background.
Prince of the Lilies | |
---|---|
![]() Reconstruction with the original pieces, Heraklion Archaeological Museum ("AMH") | |
Created | c. 1550 BC |
Discovered | 1901 Heraklion, Crete, Greece |
Present location | Heraklion, Crete, Greece |
Though often called a fresco, the figure (not including the flat background) is one of the smaller group of "relief frescos" or "painted stuccos", as the original parts of the image are built up in plaster to a low relief before being painted.[1] It is dated to "Late Minoan IA" by Sinclair Hood,[2] circa 1550 BC, in the Neopalatial ("new palace") period between 1750 and 1500 BC). Maria Shaw says that estimated datings (in 2004) ranged between MM IIIB and LM IB, giving a maximum date range from c. 1650 to c. 1400 BC, "and occasionally later".[3]
Only a few pieces of the original image were excavated; it was probably removed from its wall deliberately during rebuilding or renovating the palace. There have been a number of different suggestions from archaeologists as to the appearance of the original image, many very different from the grand male figure reconstructed a century ago.[4] These go back to the original excavation under Sir Arthur Evans in 1901, as he first thought the fragments belonged to at least two figures, a possibility that remains under discussion. It is now generally agreed that Evans' reconstruction was considerably over-confident. The uncertainty surrounding the fragments may be summarized by the title of a paper published in 2004: "The Priest-King Fresco from Knossos: Man, Woman, Priest, King, or Someone Else?", though in fact the paper tends to back more of Evans' conclusions than some subsequent scholars do.[5]