One of the most intriguing works of art which have come down to us from antiquity is the Roman fresco known as 'The Aldobrandini Wedding'. As in the first two volumes of his iconological studies, the author's critical review of previous interpretations reveals that none of them will stand up to scrutiny. By applying a modern art-historical method, he arrives at a fundamentally new interpretation which accounts for the many iconographical details which are a distinctive feature of 'The Aldobrandini Wedding'. The painting turns out to be an idiosyncratic variant of a mythological theme that frequently crops up elsewhere in Roman art.
What did sex mean to the ancient Romans? In this lavishly illustrated study, John R. Clarke investigates a rich assortment of Roman erotic art to answer this question—and along the way, he reveals a society quite different from our own. Clarke reevaluates our understanding of Roman art and society in a study informed by recent gender and cultural studies, and focusing for the first time on attitudes toward the erotic among both the Roman non-elite and women. This splendid volume is the first study of erotic art and sexuality to set these works—many newly discovered and previously unpublished—in their ancient context and the first to define the differences between modern and ancient concepts of sexuality using clear visual evidence. Roman artists pictured a great range of human sexual activities—far beyond those mentioned in classical literature—including sex between men and women, men and men, women and women, men and boys, threesomes, foursomes, and more. Roman citizens paid artists to decorate expensive objects, such as silver and cameo glass, with scenes of lovemaking. Erotic works were created for and sold to a broad range of consumers, from the elite to the very poor, during a period spanning the first century B.C. through the mid-third century of our era. This erotic art was not hidden away, but was displayed proudly in homes as signs of wealth and luxury. In public spaces, artists often depicted outrageous sexual acrobatics to make people laugh. Looking at Lovemaking depicts a sophisticated, pre-Christian society that placed a high value on sexual pleasure and the art that represented it. Clarke shows how this culture evolved within religious, social, and legal frameworks that were vastly different from our own and contributes an original and controversial chapter to the history of human sexuality.
Goethe's ideas on colour and imagery crossed many borderlines: those of artistic processes and philosophical aesthetics, art history and colour theory, together with the science of perception. This investigation into his writings ranges across art from Antiquity, the Renaissance and the eighteenth century, as well as exploring the centrality of these issues to Goethe's literary work. Questions find answers, but also raise new questions. This systematic sequence of essays, originally written between 1999 and 2011, appeals to readers in all these separate areas, while drawing together their essential coherence.
With 1,125 entries and 170 contributors, this is the first encyclopedia on the history of classical archaeology. It focuses on Greek and Roman material, but also covers the prehistoric and semi-historical cultures of the Bronze Age Aegean, the Etruscans, and manifestations of Greek and Roman culture in Europe and Asia Minor. The Encyclopedia of the History of Classical Archaeology includes entries on individuals whose activities influenced the knowledge of sites and monuments in their own time; articles on famous monuments and sites as seen, changed, and interpreted through time; and entries on major works of art excavated from the Renaissance to the present day as well as works known in the Middle Ages. As the definitive source on a comparatively new discipline - the history of archaeology - these finely illustrated volumes will be useful to students and scholars in archaeology, the classics, history, topography, and art and architectural history.
Women's and men's worlds were largely separate in ancient Mediterranean societies, and, in consequence, many women's deepest personal relationships were with other women. Yet relatively little scholarly or popular attention has focused on women's relationships in antiquity, in contrast to recent interest in the relationships between men in ancient Greece and Rome. The essays in this book seek to close this gap by exploring a wide variety of textual and archaeological evidence for women's homosocial and homoerotic relationships from prehistoric Greece to fifth-century CE Egypt. Drawing on developments in feminist theory, gay and lesbian studies, and queer theory, as well as traditional textual and art historical methods, the contributors to this volume examine representations of women's lives with other women, their friendships, and sexual subjectivity. They present new interpretations of the evidence offered by the literary works of Sappho, Ovid, and Lucian; Bronze Age frescoes and Greek vase painting, funerary reliefs, and other artistic representations; and Egyptian legal documents.
Flowers have been used in wedding ceremonies for centuries; fashions may change but their popularity endures. Today brides can choose from an ever-widening range of styles and designs including spectacular blooms, individual fantasies and simple, natural displays - the creative potential is huge when a love of flowers is combined with the confidence to experiment. This new book gives brides and florists a hands-on guide to floral designs to celebrate the happiest and most special of days. Packed with tips and tricks, it explains how to plan, prepare and transport the flowers, as well as advising on colour scheme and displays. Detailed instructions on techniques and demonstrations are supported by over 400 step-by-step photographs and there is also a complete guide to four seasonal weddings set in a church, a castle, a hotel and a garden.
Marriage, across cultures, is often defined as a union between consenting adults that lasts for the life of the partners. But is marriage a blessing, or curse? Does marriage represent the union of two hearts, or was it a necessary evil? Did matrimony bring a person a helpmeet for life, or was it a societally approved state entered into to improve one's social standing and produce legitimate heirs? The authors of this volume show that the peoples of the ancient Mediterranean were divided on all of these questions, and reveal ancient Greek and Roman opinions on marriage that were as varied and complex as they are today. Readers will discover in this book that ancients juggled multiple ideas that to the modern eye may appear to be contradictory. Thus, for example, Greek and Roman wives were expected to come to their grooms spotless virgins, while Greek and Roman husbands could enjoy multiple partnerships outside the marital union. Guided by our experts, we take an extensive journey through time and space, encountering evidence from such sources as diverse as Hammurabic law codes, Egyptian papyri, Greek epic and tragedy, Roman inscriptions and writings on the lives of early Christians. Applying innovative approaches and diverse methodologies, the authors of this volume reveal the tension and reconciliation between representations of marriage in antiquity and its lived reality. A Cultural History of Marriage in Antiquity presents an overview of the period with essays on Courtship and Ritual; Religion, State and Law; Kinship and Social Networks; the Family Economy; Love and Sex; the Breaking of Vows; and Representations of Marriage.
