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The Villa dei Papiri at Herculaneum-buried during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in A.D. 79, then rediscovered in 1750-contained a large collection of bronze and marble statuary and busts. Before they were published or exhibited, the sculptures were restored so as to appear whole: it is thus that they helped to shape early modern tastes in classical sculpture. The book describes the nature of the ancient sculptures and their impact on the modern public. Their chance discovery affected the interpretation of the statues-their styles and subjects-over the course of the next 250 years. The ancient sculptures were copied extensively in reproductions of various sizes and patinas. The author traces t...
Carol C. Mattusch discusses the dating of bronzes based on criteria of technique and style, and considers technical innovations in the art of portraiture. Most controversially, she offers evidence that Greek artists cast bronzes in series based on a single model.
Freestanding bronze statuary was the primary mode of artistic expression in classical Greece, yet it was not until the nineteenth century that any original large statues of that period were unearthed. Although ancient literature has preserved information about the most famous Greek sculptors who worked in bronze, our perception of the art has been limited by the small number of extant originals from the sixth and fifth centuries B.C. there remain fewer than ten large cast bronze statues, a like number of bronze heads, an assortment of fragments, and some clay molds for casting. Carol Mattusch enriches our knowledge of this beloved but elusive art form in a comprehensive study of the style and techniques of bronze statuary during the Archaic (6th century B.C.) and Classical (5th century B.C.) periods.
In this full study of the statue, Victorious Youth - the first in nearly 20 years - the author takes into account the most recent art historical information and scientific data about the piece. Included is a complete conservation report.
Ancient bronze statuary provides a sense of immediacy, a window directly back to the classical world. The wistful expression of a young Roman woman, the fixed jaw of a politician, and the tensed muscles of a Greek athlete appear startlingly lifelike, transfixing the viewer with their striking realism. Incredibly durable yet frequently destroyed for their valuable materials, ancient bronzes are comparatively rare discoveries. This book, richly illustrated with works from the J. Paul Getty Museum and other important collections, provides an engaging overview of classical bronzes. Enduring Bronze considers bronze throughout its long history, exploring its enormous appeal from antiquity to the present day. The book discusses the many roles bronze objects played in ancient Greece and Rome and analyzes discoveries made at ancient foundries and by contemporary scientists. It also examines references to bronze in mythology, Pliny’s histories, and other classical texts, as well as representations on vases and other artworks.
An assessment of the Bay of Naples as a popular vacation spot in ancient Rome evaluates the picturesque area as a villa site for numerous emperors and a retreat of choice for the artistic community, in a lavishly illustrated volume that features reproductions of period artwork.
This new translation brings to light the early days of scientific archaeology and the unearthing and study of Herculaneum and Pompeii as observed by the erudite and acerbic art historian Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717-1768). His Letter, published in German in 1762, displays his extensive knowledge of geology, ancient literature, and art while offering a scathing critique of the Spanish Bourbon excavations around the Bay of Naples and of the officials involved. He further discusses these topics in his equally controversial Report of 1764. The introduction describes the context in which these texts were written, identifies various politicians, academics, and collectors, and elucidates topics of particular interest to Winckelmann, from artifacts to local customs to the contents of ancient papyri. The illustrations, particularly those from the Bourbon publication--Le Antichità di Ercolano (1757-92)--illuminate how these monuments influenced contemporary perception of the ancient world.
Horses were revered in ancient Greece as symbols of wealth, power, and status. On stunning black- and red-figure vases, in sculpture, and in other media, Greek artists depicted the daily care of horses, chariot and horseback races, scenes of combat, and mythological horse-hybrids such as satyrs and the winged Pegasus. This richly illustrated and handsomely designed volume includes over 80 objects showing scenes of ancient equestrian life. Essays by notable scholars of ancient Greek art and archaeology explore the indelible presence and significance horses occupied in numerous facets of ancient Greek culture, including myth, war, sport, and competition, shedding new light on horsemanship from the 8th through the 4th century BCE.
Situates the study of Roman sculpture within the fields of art history, classical archaeology, and Roman studies, presenting technical, scientific, literary, and theoretical approaches.
For the general public and specialists alike, the Hellenistic period (323–31 BC) and its diverse artistic legacy remain underexplored and not well understood. Yet it was a time when artists throughout the Mediterranean developed new forms, dynamic compositions, and graphic realism to meet new expressive goals, particularly in the realm of portraiture. Rare survivors from antiquity, large bronze statues are today often displayed in isolation, decontextualized as masterpieces of ancient art. Power and Pathos gathers together significant examples of bronze sculpture in order to highlight their varying styles, techniques, contexts, functions, and histories. As the first comprehensive volume on...