Roman Portraits

Roman Portraits

Author: Paul Zanker

Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art

Published: 2016-11-14

Total Pages: 298

ISBN-13: 1588395995

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Portrait sculptures are among the most vibrant records of ancient Greek and Roman culture. They represent people of all ages and social strata: revered poets and philosophers, emperors and their family members, military heroes, local dignitaries, ordinary citizens, and young children. The Met's distinguished collection of Greek and Roman portraits in stone and bronze is published in its entirety for the first time in this volume. Paul Zanker, a leading authority on Roman sculpture today, has brought his exceptional knowledge to the study of these portraits; in presenting them, he brings the ancient world to life for contemporary audiences. Each work is lavishly illustrated, meticulously described, and placed in its historical and cultural context. The lives and achievement of significant figures are discussed in the framework of the political, social, and practical circumstances that influenced their portrait's forms and styles—from the unvarnished realism of the late Republican period to the idealizing and progressively abstract tendencies that followed. Analyses of marble portraits recarved into new likenesses after their original subjects were forgotten or officially repudiated provide especially compelling insights. Observations on fashions in hairstyling, which typically originated with the Imperial family and spread as fast as the rulers' latest portraits could be distributed, not only edify and amuse but also link the Romans' motives and appetite for imitation to our own. More than a collection catalogue, Roman Portraits is a thorough and multifaceted survey of ancient portraiture. Charting the evolution of this art from its origins in ancient Greece, it renews our appreciation of an connection to these imposing, timeless works.


Facing the Colours of Roman Portraiture

Facing the Colours of Roman Portraiture

Author: Amalie Skovmøller

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2020-09-07

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 3110585529

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The fact that most ancient marble portraits were once intentionally polychrome has always been lurking at the corners of art historical and archaeological research. Despite the fact, that the colours of the sculpted forms completed, enhanced and even extended the plastic shapes, the topic has not been devoted much dedicated attention. This book represents the first full-length academic monograph which explores the original polychromy of Roman white marble portraiture. It presents results from scientific analysis of portraits in statuary and bust formats dating to the first three centuries CE. The book also explores the cultural and social significance of colours in their original contexts, and how the immaterial affects of the polychrome, three-dimensional images can be integrated into the traditional research into ancient portraiture, which has tended to place overwhelming emphasis on iconography, typology and biography. By doing so the ancient sculpted marble form, as we know it, will be exposed and confronted, and the impact of manipulated material effects, that were meant to evoke a broad range of multisensory experiences, will be emphasized. The book puts forth a new way of analysis to be tested and developed in the future.


Face to Face

Face to Face

Author: Robin Margaret Jensen

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published:

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9781451417517

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Examining how God and eventually Christ are portrayed in early Christian art, Jensen explores questions of the relationship between art and theology, conflicts over idolatry and iconography, and how the Christological controversies affected the portrayals of Christ. Since much of this art comes from ancient Rome, she places her analysis in the context of the history of Roman portraiture. One hundred photographs enhance the discussion.


A History of Roman Art

A History of Roman Art

Author: Steven L. Tuck

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2021-03-31

Total Pages: 448

ISBN-13: 1119653304

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A HISTORY OF ROMAN ART The new edition of the leading textbook on Roman art, updated with new images and expanded geographic and cultural scope A History of Roman Art is an expansive survey of the painting, mosaic, sculpture, decorative arts, and architecture of ancient Rome. This acclaimed textbook provides a fully-illustrated narrative history of Roman art that spans a millennium, from the early origins of Rome to the era of Emperor Constantine. Interwoven throughout the text are themes of Rome's cultural inclusiveness and the importance of art in promoting Roman values, helping students understand how diverse cultures contributed to Roman life. Accessible, chronologically-organized chapters provide numerous examples of the arts, their cultural and historical context, descriptions of artistic techniques, and writings by ancient authors—enabling students to develop a rich appreciation of art’s importance in the Roman world. Now in its second edition, this market-leading textbook features thoroughly revised content throughout. Additional images and excerpts from literary sources are complemented by new historical discussions of metalwork, carved gems, glass, and sarcophagi. This edition features more maps and illustrations, in-depth analysis of iconography, greater emphasis on the types of objects used to decorate the lives of ordinary Romans, expanded coverage of freedmen and women as artists, subjects, and patrons, and much more. A number of works that represent popular art have been added. That is, art in the everyday Roman world, rather than just the large scale works of sculpture and architecture of elite patrons. It also reveals patterns of artistic workshops, trade, and social and economic networks. Additionally, this edition takes into account new approaches in scholarship. This comprehensive textbook: Provides a thorough introduction to Roman art history featuring more than 400 high quality images and illustrations Includes a full set of pedagogical tools, such as historical timelines, key term definitions, and updated references and further reading suggestions Offers “Scholarly Perspective,” “A View from the Provinces,” “More on Myth,” and “Art and Literature” textboxes in each chapter Includes a companion website containing PowerPoint slides and additional instructor resources A History of Roman Art, Second Edition is an ideal primary or secondary text for courses on Roman art and archaeology, Roman art and architecture, Greek and Roman art, and general Roman civilization, history, and culture.


Authority in Byzantium

Authority in Byzantium

Author: Pamela Armstrong

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2016-12-05

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 1351956566

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Authority is an important concept in Byzantine culture whose myriad modes of implementation helped maintain the existence of the Byzantine state across so many centuries, binding together people from different ethnic groups, in different spheres of life and activities. Even though its significance to understanding the Byzantine world is so central, it is nonetheless imperfectly understood. The present volume brings together an international cast of scholars to explore this concept. The contributions are divided into nine sections focusing on different aspects of authority: the imperial authority of the state, how it was transmitted from the top down, from Constantinople to provincial towns, how it dealt with marginal legal issues or good medical practice; authority in the market place, whether directly concerning over-the-counter issues such as coinage, weights and measures, or the wider concerns of the activities of foreign traders; authority in the church, such as the extent to which ecclesiastical authority was inherent, or how constructs of religious authority ordered family life; the authority of knowledge revealed through imperial patronage or divine wisdom; the authority of text, though its conformity with ancient traditions, through the Holy scriptures and through the authenticity of history; exhibiting authority through images of the emperor or the Divine. The final section draws on personal experience of three great ’authorities’ within Byzantine Studies: Ostrogorsky, Beck and Browning.


Art and Rhetoric in Roman Culture

Art and Rhetoric in Roman Culture

Author: Jaś Elsner

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2014-10-02

Total Pages: 527

ISBN-13: 1139991736

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Rhetoric was fundamental to education and to cultural aspiration in the Greek and Roman worlds. It was one of the key aspects of antiquity that slipped under the line between the ancient world and Christianity erected by the early Church in late antiquity. Ancient rhetorical theory is obsessed with examples and discussions drawn from visual material. This book mines this rich seam of theoretical analysis from within Roman culture to present an internalist model for some aspects of how the Romans understood, made and appreciated their art. The understanding of public monuments like the Arch of Titus or Trajan's Column or of imperial statuary, domestic wall painting, funerary altars and sarcophagi, as well as of intimate items like children's dolls, is greatly enriched by being placed in relevant rhetorical contexts created by the Roman world.


Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000

Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000

Author: Roger Collins

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2017-09-16

Total Pages: 624

ISBN-13: 1137014288

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In this classic textbook history of early medieval Europe, Roger Collins provides a succinct account of the centuries during which Europe changed from being an abstract geographical expression to a new culturally coherent, if politically divided, entity. This comprehensive new edition explores key topics such as the fall of the Roman Empire, the rise of both Christianity and Islam, the Vikings, and the expansion of Latin Christian culture into eastern Europe. Clear and insightful, this is an invaluable guide to an important era in the history of both Europe and the wider world. This is an ideal companion for students of History or European Studies taking modules on Early Medieval Europe or Europe in Late Antiquity. In addition, this is a useful reference work for postgraduate students, scholars and teachers of early medieval Europe. New to this Edition: - Fully updated, augmented and revised to take account of the latest scholarship and research on all aspects of the period it covers - Greater emphasis given to social and economic considerations, the peripheries of Europe, the rise and impact of Islam, art, architecture, books and the spread of learning - Extensively rewritten to make it more accessible for students