my papew

Hestia Polyolbos
	Sitting on the wall of the Dumbarton Oaks Museum is an ode to a goddess from long ago, with a crown of pomegranate, surrounded by smaller figures. Though dulled through years and years of existence this tapestries colorations of red, teal, and gold still draw your eye directly to the wall the tapestry hangs on. Despite its damage and missing components, it remains a powerful piece of worship, and is still comparatively intact compared to the piece Two Nereids beside it.
Although both are equally colorful in their own right, and Two Nereids having its red retain its vivacity over the years, the more visually catching piece is clearly Hestia Polyolbos. This tapestry rests among the other tapestries in a small room off to the side of the byzantine section of the Dumbarton Oaks Museum, sharing its corner with the Two Nereids tapestry.
	When first approaching the smaller room my eyes immediately fell upon the tapestry, and while I did wander down the short hall to take in the other things hanging on the wall I could not help myself but to glance back at Hestia Polyolbos numerous times before deciding that I would write about it. The way her eyes seemed to always follow mine was enrapturing. She felt important, she felt powerful, and she demanded my attention, something of which that I was more than happy to give to her.
The cherubs, or what I assumed to be cherubs, surrounding her absorbed the rest of my focus, the acknowledging stare they gave me while they delivered gifts upon Hestia left me starstruck. Yet I had to ask myself, who was Hestia? Why were these child-like figures giving her gifts, and what were they giving her?
	Hestia, The sister of Zeus, Poseidon, and Hera, a goddess atop Mount Olympus and of the Greeks household hearth. While she was as venerated as the other gods, she was hardly praised at shrines, the cults that worshiped her instead chose to do so around fire pits due to her rule over hearths. The name Hestia Polyolbus, or “Giver of Blessings” gives us another look into why she was worshiped as she was. She was the distributor of blessings, of miracles, she was who the greeks looked to for help in their home life.
	Hestia is not a name I recognized at first, my previous knowledge of gods and goddesses only covering maybe twelve of the bigger names of the time. Yet there is a number of art pieces that depict both her and the other goddesses of the time. A statue that comes to mind to go alongside the tapestry is one of the three goddesses Aphrodite, Dione, and Hestia. From the east side of the Parthenon's pediment in Athens, Greece, and created around 438-432 BCE, this piece lets us know that Hestia was considered one of the important goddesses way back in the day. Now that her identity is known, it would be wise to begin discussing the details in the tapestry and the true beauty of it.
1.	More in Detail Explanation of the Piece
	Hailing from the early Byzantine era, somewhere around the first half of the 6th century, Hestia Polyolbus sits around 4 feet in both height and length. It’s main colorations include teal, green, red, and gold, although it may have lost its true sheen long ago.