"This illustrated catalogue presents fifty-nine Greek funerary monuments in the Antiquities collection of the Getty Museum. Spanning the Classical and Hellenistic periods, the sculptures typically show the deceased either alone or surrounded by family. Ranging from depictions of seated mothers and modest maidens to nude boys and armed warriors, this collection offers new insight into Greek art and society that will undoubtedly pique the interest of both scholars and the general public."--BOOK JACKET.
This book charts a significant aspect of European heritage: cemeteries. Cemeteries are nowadays considered as formal cultural sites and open-air museums attracting a great number of visitors; while cemetery records, memorial monuments, epitaph inscriptions and symbols provide useful data, attracting the interest of an increasing number of scholars from various disciplines and backgrounds. This collective volume consists of selected papers, presented at the ASCE (Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe) Conference: “Ancient Greek Art and European Funerary Art” organized by the Harokopio University of Athens-Greece on October 5-7 2017, aiming to highlight various cultural aspects of cemeteries. The authors present funerary art and its classical origin, investigate theoretical and historical approaches, plan cultural and educational routes, design technological applications concerning the use of cemeteries as cultural sites, and propose multiple ways for promoting cemetery heritage and public engagement; while the majority of the papers is based on field and archival research and is accompanied by original images. The multicultural character of death heritage is highlighted through the variety of case-studies presented in this volume, introducing different perspectives and interpretations on art, history, heritage and cultural tourism, laying the groundwork for the public discussion on our common heritage as appeared in cemeteries, appealing to both the wider public and the academic community.
Funerary Sculpture is the first volume on sculpture from the Agora in over 50 years, bringing together all the sculpted funerary monuments of the Athenian Agora, Classical through Roman periods, which were discovered during excavation from 1931 through 2009. The wide chronological span allows the author to trace changes in funerary monuments, particularly the break in customs that took place in 317 B.C., and the revival of figured monuments in the Roman period. The study consists of three essays followed by a catalogue of 389 objects. The author places the Agora sculptural fragments within the greater context of Attic funerary sculpture, moving from a general to a specific treatment of the funerary sculpture. The first essay is an overview of the study of Attic types of sculpture; the second discusses the specific features of funerary sculpture from Athens and Attica; and the third examines the characteristics of the funerary sculptures found in the Agora, thereby forming an introduction to the catalogue that follows. The catalogue includes stelai and naiskoi with female and/or male figures, sirens, decorative anthemia, funerary vessels, lekythoi, loutrophoroi, animals, mensa, columnar monuments, and more. There are separate indexes of museums, names, demes, places, and findspots, as well as a general index.
The Handbook of Greek Sculpture aims to provide a detailed examination of current research and directions in the field. Bringing together an international cast of contributors from Greece, Italy, France, Great Britain, Germany, and the United States, the volume incorporates new areas of research, such as the sculptures of Messene and Macedonia, sculpture in Roman Greece, and the contribution of Greek sculptors in Rome, as well as important aspects of Greek sculpture like techniques and patronage. The written sources (literary and epigraphical) are explored in dedicated chapters, as are function and iconography and the reception of Greek sculpture in modern Europe. Inspired by recent exhibitions on Lysippos and Praxiteles, the book also revisits the style and the personal contributions of the great masters.
For centuries, statuary décor was a main characteristic of any city, sanctuary, or villa in the Roman world. However, from the third century CE onward, the prevalence of statues across the Roman Empire declined dramatically. By the end of the sixth century, statues were no longer a defining characteristic of the imperial landscape. Further, changing religious practices cast pagan sculpture in a threatening light. Statuary production ceased, and extant statuary was either harvested for use in construction or abandoned in place. The Afterlife of Greek and Roman Sculpture is the first volume to approach systematically the antique destruction and reuse of statuary, investigating key responses to statuary across most regions of the Roman world. The volume opens with a discussion of the complexity of the archaeological record and a preliminary chronology of the fate of statues across both the eastern and western imperial landscape. Contributors to the volume address questions of definition, identification, and interpretation for particular treatments of statuary, including metal statuary and the systematic reuse of villa materials. They consider factors such as earthquake damage, late antique views on civic versus “private” uses of art, urban construction, and deeper causes underlying the end of the statuary habit, including a new explanation for the decline of imperial portraiture. The themes explored resonate with contemporary concerns related to urban decline, as evident in post-industrial cities, and the destruction of cultural heritage, such as in the Middle East.
The sculptural tradition developed by the ancient Greeks is justifiably considered one of the most remarkable achievements of Western art. This richly illustrated volume introduces eight centuries of Greek sculpture, from the early rectilinear designs of the Geometric period (ca. 900–700 B.C.) through the groundbreaking creativity of the Archaic and Classical periods to the dramatic monumental achievements of the Hellenistic Age (323–31 B.C.). A generous selection of objects and materials—ranging from the sacred to the everyday, from bronze and marble to gold, ivory, and terracotta—allows for an especially appealing picture not only of Greek art but also of life in ancient Greece. Sculptures of deities such as Zeus, Athena, and Eros and architectural elements from temples are included, as are depictions of athletes and animals (both domesticated and wild), statuettes of dancers and actors, funerary reliefs, perfume vases, and jewelry. The informative text provides a comprehensive introduction and insightful discussions of forty objects selected from the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Full-page photographs of the featured works are supplemented by many illuminating details and comparative illustrations. The latest in The Met’s widely acclaimed How to Read series, this publication reveals how, more than two millennia ago, Greek artists brilliantly captured the fundamental aspects of the human condition.
In 2008, the Berlin Antikensammlung initiated a project with the J. Paul Getty Museum to conserve a group of ancient funerary vases from southern Italy. Monumental in scale and richly decorated, these magnificent vessels were discovered in hundreds of fragments in the early nineteenth century at Ceglie, near Bari. Acquired by a Bohemian diplomat, they were reconstructed in the Neapolitan workshop of Raffaele Gargiulo, who was considered one of the leading restorers of antiquities in Europe. His methods exemplify what was referred to as “une perfection dangereuse,” an approach to reassembly and repainting that made it difficult to distinguish what was ancient and what was modern. Bringing together archival documentation and technical analyses, this volume provides a comprehensive study of the vases and their treatment from the nineteenth century up to today. In addition to lavish illustrations, two in-depth essays on the history of the vases and on Gargiulo’s work, as well as detailed conservation notes for each object, this publication also features the first English translation of Gargiulo’s original text on his understanding as to how ancient Greek vases were manufactured. This is the companion volume to an exhibition on view at the Getty Villa, from November 19, 2014, to May 11, 2015, and then at the Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin from June 17, 2016, to June 18, 2017.
This handsome volume presents an innovative look at the imagery of libations, the most commonly depicted ritual in ancient Greece, and how it engaged viewers in religious performance. In a libation, liquid--water, wine, milk, oil, or honey--was poured from a vessel such as a jug or a bowl onto the ground, an altar, or another surface. Libations were made on occasions like banquets, sacrifices, oath-taking, departures to war, and visitations to tombs, and their iconography provides essential insight into religious and social life in 5th-century BC Athens. Scenes depicting the ritual often involved beholders directly--a statue's gaze might establish the onlooker as a fellow participant, or painted vases could draw parallels between human practices and acts of gods or heroes. Beautifully illustrated with a broad range of examples, including the Caryatids at the Acropolis, the Parthenon Frieze, Attic red-figure pottery, and funerary sculpture, this important book demonstrates the power of Greek art to transcend the boundaries between visual representation and everyday experience.
