bronze Asklepios, god of medicine

Height: 23cm including base

Asklepios, god of medicine and healing, was the son of Apollo and Coronis. As a child, he was entrusted by his father to the care and civilising influence of the gentle centaur Chiron, who taught him the arts of healing. His children include Hygieia, goddess of health and cleanliness, Iaso, goddess of recovery from illness, Aceso, goddess of the healing process, and Panacea, the goddess of universal remedy.

Asklepios' cult was centred on Epidavros, famous for its magnificent theatre, a focal point of the extensive sanctuary.

When Asklepios began to bring back the dead, Hades complained to Zeus, who also feared that Asklepios might teach the art of resurrection to others, so he killed him with a thunderbolt. Later on, Zeus restored Asklepios as a god, and gave him a place on Olympus, and made a constellation in his honour: Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder.

Asklepios' methods were practised by his descendants, the best known of whom was Hippokrates, the legendary father of medicine, whose oath is sworn by the medical profession. The staff or rod of Asklepios with intertwining healing serpent remains a symbol of medicine and healthcare today. It is incorporated into the logos of several hundred organisations worldwide, including the World Health Organisation and the British Medical Association.

The bronze pieces are cast in Greece using the traditional lost wax method. As nothing is mass-produced, there will inevitably be slight variations in texture, patina, and colour. No two pieces are ever the same. If mounted on a marble base, it will be a black or very dark grey base. There may be a variation of some millimetres in the dimensions of the base from time to time.

It's All Greek is proud to have been working with the Semitekolo family foundry since 1999. It has been a privilege to handle these gorgeous pieces and to sell them to customers all over the world.