PaintPlus/docs/PUBLIC_DOMAIN_EYE_SOURCES.md

Public Domain Carved Eye Sources

Where to find high-quality images of carved eyes from classical sculptures (all public domain).

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Best Museums with Public Domain Images

1. Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0 Public Domain)

Website: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection

Search tips:

• Search: "greek statue marble head"
• Search: "roman portrait bust"
• Filter: "Public Domain" only
• Download: Click "Download" for high-resolution

Great examples:

• Greek Kouros heads (Archaic period)
• Roman portrait busts
• Hellenistic marble sculptures

Direct collections:

• Greek & Roman Art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?department=13
• Filter by "Images" → "Public Domain"

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2. Smithsonian Open Access (CC0)

Website: https://www.si.edu/openaccess

Features:

• 3 million+ images
• All CC0 (no copyright restrictions)
• High-resolution downloads

Search:

• "roman marble head"
• "greek sculpture eyes"
• "classical portrait bust"

API available: https://api.si.edu/openaccess/api/v1.0/

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3. Getty Museum (Open Content)

Website: https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/

Search tips:

• Filter: "Open Content Program"
• Greek and Roman antiquities
• High-resolution IIIF images

Great for:

• Archaic Greek sculptures
• Classical period heads
• Detailed close-ups

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4. Rijksmuseum (Public Domain)

Website: https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/rijksstudio

Features:

• Rijksstudio (free download tool)
• High-resolution images
• Classical sculpture collection

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5. British Museum (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)

Website: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection

Note: Some restrictions, but many images free for non-commercial use

Great for:

• Egyptian carved eyes
• Greek marble heads
• Roman portraits

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6. Louvre Collections

Website: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/

Search: "sculpture greek head" or "sculpture roman portrait"

Note: Check individual image licenses

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How to Find the Perfect Eyes

Search Strategy

1. Search for heads/busts, not full statues:

   • "greek marble head"
   • "roman portrait bust"
   • "classical sculpture face"

2. Specific periods:

   • "archaic greek kouros" (serene, stylized)
   • "classical greek sculpture" (idealized, peaceful)
   • "hellenistic sculpture" (emotional, dramatic)
   • "roman portrait" (realistic, wise)

3. Look for close-ups:

   • Museums often provide detail shots
   • Check "zoom" or "IIIF viewer" options

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Recommended Starting Collection

Serene/Peaceful Eyes

Greek Classical Period (450-400 BCE):

• Doryphoros (Spear Bearer) type
• Athena heads
• Apollo statues
• Smooth, idealized features
• Almond-shaped eyes
• Minimal lid detail

Best sources: Met Museum, Getty

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Fierce/Intense Eyes

Hellenistic Period (323-31 BCE):

• Alexander the Great portraits
• Dying Gaul
• Laocoon group
• Dramatic expressions
• Deep-set eyes
• Strong brow ridges

Best sources: Smithsonian, British Museum

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Wise/Aged Eyes

Roman Republican Period:

• Senator portraits
• Veristic portraits
• Realistic aging details
• Detailed wrinkles
• Saggy eyelids
• Life-like features

Best sources: Met Museum, Getty

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Stylized/Archaic Eyes

Greek Archaic Period (700-480 BCE):

• Kouros statues
• Kore statues
• Almond-shaped
• Simplified forms
• "Archaic smile"
• Clean, simple carving

Best sources: Getty, Met Museum

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How to Download and Crop

Step 1: Find the Statue

Example: Met Museum

1. Go to https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection
2. Search: "roman portrait marble"
3. Filter: Public Domain only
4. Click on a good example

Step 2: Download High-Res

1. Click "Download" button
2. Choose largest size (usually 4000px+)
3. Save to your computer

Step 3: Crop the Eyes

Use any image editor (Photoshop, GIMP, etc.):

1. Open the full statue image

2. Zoom in on one eye

3. Crop just the eye area:

   • Include: eyeball, eyelids, tear duct, socket
   • Leave some surrounding area for context
   • Square or slightly rectangular crop

4. Save as PNG:

   • greek_serene_left.png
   • roman_fierce_right.png
   • etc.

5. Repeat for other eye (if different)

Step 4: Organize

Place cropped eyes in:

./backend/scripts/seed_data/eyes/
├── greek_serene_left.png
├── greek_serene_right.png
├── roman_fierce_left.png
├── roman_fierce_right.png
├── greek_peaceful_left.png
└── ...

Step 5: Run Seed Script

cd backend
python scripts/seed_eye_catalog.py

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Recommended Starting Collection (10 Eyes)

To start, get these 10 eyes:

Greek Classical (Serene)

1. Left eye - Greek marble head
2. Right eye - Greek marble head

Greek Archaic (Stylized/Peaceful)

3. Left eye - Kouros statue
4. Right eye - Kouros statue

Hellenistic (Fierce/Dramatic)

5. Left eye - Alexander portrait
6. Right eye - Alexander portrait

Roman Republican (Wise/Aged)

7. Left eye - Roman senator bust
8. Right eye - Roman senator bust

Roman Imperial (Powerful)

9. Left eye - Emperor portrait
10. Right eye - Emperor portrait

This gives you 5 emotional ranges × 2 eyes = 10 eyes to start!

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Quick Links

• Met Museum Collection: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search#!?department=13&showOnly=openAccess
• Smithsonian Open Access: https://www.si.edu/openaccess
• Getty Open Content: https://www.getty.edu/about/whatwedo/opencontent.html
• Rijksmuseum API: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/object-metadata/api/

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Legal Notes

• CC0/Public Domain: Use freely for any purpose
• CC BY: Must credit the source
• CC BY-NC: Non-commercial use only
• Always check individual image licenses

For commercial carving business, stick to CC0 or Public Domain images.

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Tips for Best Results

1. High resolution: Download largest size available (2000px+ minimum)
2. Good lighting: Look for evenly lit photographs
3. Straight-on angle: Avoid extreme angles
4. Clear detail: Can you see the eyelid lines clearly?
5. Minimal damage: Choose well-preserved sculptures

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Next Steps

1. Browse the museums above
2. Download 10-20 good eye examples
3. Crop them in an image editor
4. Place in backend/scripts/seed_data/eyes/
5. Run the seed script
6. Your catalog is ready!

You'll have a library of proven carved eyes from master sculptors spanning 2000+ years!