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| Ancient Greece Grave Stele of Antigenes ca. 600-575 BC marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"Attic grave monuments at the end of the sixth century BC tend to be simpler than their earlier counterparts. In particular, the sculpted finials in the form of sphinxes are replaced by palmettes that are integral with the shaft. The figures, moreover, may be painted instead of carved in relief."
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| Roman Empire Flying Maenad bearing wand and garland ca. AD 50-100 stucco relief-panel Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Roman Empire Flying Maenad bearing tympanum ca. AD 50-100 stucco relief-panel Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Roman Empire Flying Maenad bearing wreath and platter ca. AD 50-100 stucco relief-panel Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Ancient Greece Kouros ca. 590-580 BC marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"This is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. The rigid stance, with the left leg forward and arms at the side, was derived from Egyptian art. The pose provided a clear, simple formula that was used by Greek sculptors throughout the sixth century BC. In this early figure, almost abstract, geometric forms predominate, and anatomical details are rendered in beautiful analogous patterns. The statue marked the grave of a young Athenian aristocrat."
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| Ancient Greece Kouros ca. 590-580 BC marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Ancient Greece Kouros ca. 590-580 BC marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
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| Roman Empire Hermes (fragment) ca. 27 BC - AD 68 marble relief-panel Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"The messenger-god Hermes is represented in the so-called archaistic style, a retrospective manner that incorporated characteristics of Archaic Greek art of the sixth century BC into newly created figures and compositions."
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| Roman Empire Votive Plaque 3rd century AD lead Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"The plaque contains a complex iconography of divine figures and symbols, probably associated with Thracian or Dacian beliefs of the Lower Danube region. Presiding over the whole scene is Sol Invictus (the invincible sun-god) in a quadriga (four-horse chariot). His cult originated in the Near East and gained increasing influence under imperial patronage during the third century AD. The state worship of Sol was only supplanted by Constantine's adoption of Christianity in AD 312."
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| Roman Empire Sarcophagus with myth of Selene and Endymion early 3rd century AD marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"An inscription at the centre of the lid informs us that this trough-shaped sarcophagus was dedicated to a woman named Arria, who lived fifty years and ten months, by her daughter Aninia Hilara. . . . The story of Endymion is shown in strongly undercut relief on the front of the sarcophagus. In the center, Selene, the moon goddess, alights from her chariot to visit her beloved, Endymion, who reclines at the right. Endymion, most beautiful of men, has been granted eternal youth and eternal sleep. A female figure stands over him, pouring out the magic potion of immortality and holding a bunch of sleep-inducing poppies."
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| Roman Empire The Hope Dionysos ca. 27 BC - AD 68 (restored by Vincenzo Pacetti ca. 1796) marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"Dionysos, god of wine and divine intoxication, wears a panther skin over his short chiton and high sandals with animal heads on the overhanging flaps. He stands beside an archaistic female figure whose pose and dress imitate those of Greek statues carved in the sixth century BC. It is difficult to know whether the original Greek bronze statue of Dionysos, of which this is a copy, included the female figure. Supports in the form of pillars, herms, and small statues were not uncommon in Classical art, but this figure may have been added to support the outstretched arm, and may represent Spes, a Roman personification of Hope, who was often shown as an archaistic maiden."
Provenance:
Until 1796, collection of the Aldobrandini family, Aldobrandini Palace, Rome.
1796, purchased by Vincenzo Pacetti from the Aldobrandini family.
1796-1917, Hope collection, displayed at the Duchess Street mansion, London and (after 1835) at Deepdene House, Dorking, Surrey (both residences of Thomas Hope, elder brother of Henry P. Hope, and of his descendants).
1917, purchased by Mr. Francis Howard through Christie's, London.
1917-1954, collection of Mr. Francis Howard.
Until 1990, private collection, Palm Beach, Florida.
Purchased in 1990 by the Metropolitan Museum through Sotheby's, New York.
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| Roman Empire Wounded Warrior ca. AD 138-181 marble Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"The subject of this statue has not been identified with certainty. The warrior held a shield on his left arm and probably a spear in his right hand, and he stands with his feet carefully placed on a sloping surface. The figure must have some association with the sea, because a plank-like form surrounded by waves is carved on the plinth of a second copy in the British Museum. It has been suggested that he is the Greek hero Protesilaos, who ignored an oracle's warning that the first Greek to step on Trojan soil would be the first to die in battle. This statue might represent him descending from the ship ready to meet his fate. Following the discovery of a wound carved in the right armpit, the figure was reinterpreted as a dying warrior falling backward, and copied after a famous statue by the Greek sculptor Kresilas. Many other identifications have been suggested to explain the unusual stance and the unique iconography of this statue and of the copy in London, but none has been generally accepted."
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| Roman Empire Young Dionysos 1st-2nd century AD marble statuette (fragment) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
"The god is nude except for the nebris (fawn skin) worn diagonally at his right shoulder. Long locks of hair are falling onto the shoulders and back. There are remains of a support on the left flank, while traces of red paint are still visible between the locks of hair in front. This statuette belongs to a series of Roman eclectic sculptures derived from a late classical Greek type. The s-curve and slight twist of the torso to the right, for example, are direct quotes of works by Praxiteles. The young Dionysos became quite popular during the reign of Hadrian in the second century AD."
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| Ancient Greece or Rome Youth 1st century BC marble statuette (fragment) Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York |
– quoted texts from curator's notes at the Metropolitan Museum