Sculptural Fragments Research Articles

The Antinoeion of Hadrian' s Villa: Interpretation and Architectural Reconstruction

Recent excavations at Hadrian's Villa have revealed the remains of a structure with a large exedra, numerous architectural elements, and some sculptural fragments in the style. The characteristics of some of the finds immediately brought to mind Hadrian's connections with Egypt, the long-standing Egyptian problem in studies of the villa (e.g., the Canopus-Serapeum), and naturally, Antinous. In this article, we examine specific aspects of the structure and identify it as the Antinoeion, based, in part, on a masonry foundation that may be connected to the famous obelisk of Antinous at Rome. We also present, for the first time, an architectural reconstruction of the building. We argue that the Antinoeion is not simply a mausoleum or cenotaph and temple where the cult of the dead youth Antinous, who was assimilated to Osiris, could be associated with that of other divinities. Rather, it is a true tomb housing the remains of Antinons. It is here suggested that this tomb was built so that Hadrian could commemorate his paramour to whom he was joined by a deeply passionate and spiritual bond.

The Unusual Sculptures of Telantunich, Yucatán: Phalli and the Concept of Masculinity among the Ancient Maya

Recently discovered sculpture fragments from the area surrounding the important but little-studied site of Telantunich confirm a regional tradition of human portraiture quite distinct from the better-known canon of Maya stelae. Comparative material presented here shows connections between this tradition and a regional emphasis on depictions of masculine sexuality, especially depictions of human phalli. The authors present an analysis of this corpus that confirms that such depictions both reflect Classic Maya conceptions of masculinity and were deployed to convey and reify such conceptions within society.

Marble sculptures from the imperial palace in Sirmium

Few fragments of marble sculpture have been found in the course of the archaeological excavations conducted in Sirmium between 2003 and 2005 at site 85 which is believed to be part of the imperial palace complex. The most important are two almost completely preserved heads of deities. The head of a young person made of milky white, fine-grained marble of exceptionally fine texture from Pentelicon was found under the Late Roman floor in room 7 of the residential structure. The sculpture, of exceptional quality, is from the second half of the 1st century and represents a deity, most probably Venus or Apollo. Another head made of Carrara marble, from the 4th century, was found in a secondary position and on the basis of its mural crown is identified as the Tyche of Sirmium.

Creating the Past: The Vénus de Milo and the Hellenistic Reception of Classical Greece

This article reexamines the well-known Hellenistic statue of Aphrodite from Melos (the Venus de Milo), drawing on recently published archaeological evidence and archival sources relating to its excavation to propose a new reconstruction of the sculpture’s original appearance, context, and audience. Although scholars have often discussed the statue as a timeless ideal of female beauty, the Aphrodite was in fact carefully adapted to its contemporary setting, the minor Hellenistic polis of Melos. With its conservative yet creative visual effect, the sculpture offers a well-preserved early example of the Hellenistic emulation of classical art, and opens a window onto the rarely examined world of a traditional Greek city during a period of dynamic change. The statue, it is argued, was set up within the civic gymnasium of Melos. Furthermore, Aphrodite likely held out an apple in token of her victory in the Judgment of Paris, as newly accessible sculptural fragments found with the statue demonstrate. The sculpture responds to and transforms both classical visual prototypes and earlier narratives of the Judgment, familiar to Greek audiences from the period of Homer onward. And the Aphrodite not only was appropriate for display within a gymnasium but indeed exemplifies a critical aspect of that institution’s role during the Hellenistic period: the creation of a standardized and highly selective vision of the past to serve as a model for the present. Thus the statue, analyzed within its original context, greatly enhances our understanding of the reception of classical sculpture and mythological narrative in Hellenistic Greece.*

Exploration of the Archaic Sanctuary at Mandra on Despotiko

Yannos Kourayos and Bryan Burns Exploration of the archaic sanctuary at Mandra on the island of Despotiko p. 133-174 The results are presented of the archaeological excavation at the site of Mandra on Despotiko, an uninhabited island west of Paros and Antiparos. Initial investigations of surface material led to a full scale excavation centring on Building A, a large structure consisting of five parallel rooms, which may have been a hestiatorion. The general status of the site as a sanctuary is confirmed by numerous votive finds. The majority of artefacts recovered thus far date to the Archaic period, including sculptural fragments, imported ceramics, and a wide range of metal objects and small finds. Architectural members, most of which were rebuilt into later structures, indicate the presence of several other Doric buildings on the site, and a long stone wall encloses a large area east of Building A. The name Apollo inscribed on sherds suggests that this sanctuary was dedicated to the god. The feminine nature of many ex-votos and the presence of several Delian sanctuaries throughout the Cyclades, however, may indicate that Artemis was also worshipped there.

The Congresbury Carvings – An Eleventh-century Saint's Shrine?

The discovery of a small group of sculpted fragments at Congresbury in Somerset seven years ago set in motion a period of research, reflection and analysis that has given rise to this paper. It opens with an account of the circumstances of their discovery and a description of their appearance. Then follows a proposed date and provenance. It is suggested that the quality of the sculptures and the evident scale of the monument to which they once belonged indicate a structure and a site of high status, possibly the shrine of the Welsh missionary saint Cyngar, whose cult enjoyed some popularity in the high and late Middle Ages. A review of the history of the site and evidence from its placename and from archaeological investigations corroborate this thesis.The style of the sculptures when compared with dated manuscript illuminations and with sculptural fragments surviving from Anglo-Saxon Wessex is in line with a late tenth- to mid-eleventh-century dating. The historical circumstances of Congresbury at this time further suggest that this date may be narrowed down to the period between 1033 and 1060. The original structure of the shrine to which the fragments may have belonged is considered in the light of contemporary documentary evidence and research carried out on the remains of comparable shrine structures.

« Stela of Urnammu » fragments in London

fragments of sculpture classified as the of Urnammu were mainly excavated at Ur by C. L. Woolley in 1924—25, working on behalf of the British Museum and the University Museum, Philadelphia. It was decided that they should ail be sent to Philadelphia, and in principle that is what happened. It was later notieed, however, that two radiate sun-disk fragments had been treated as part of an Utuhegal monument in a different stone, and kept in the Department of the Ancient Near East at the British Museum (J. E. Reade, The Utuhegal stela from Ur, Baghdader Mitteilungen 27 [1996]: 229—34, Taf. 21—2). These sun-disk fragments have not been incorporated into the new reconstruction by J. Y. Canby, Ur-Nammu Stela (University Museum Monograph 110; Philadelphia, 2001), pis 10—11, but there is no immediately obvious reason why they should not both be placed near the top of her pl. 11, rather than being regarded as belonging to one of about other stelae in different types of stone (ead.: 6). It also seems possible that the figure of seven is too high, since the main stela is made of a layered stone which may occasionally have split and required patching during manufacture; in that case different types of stone could have been used for repairs, and the differences would not have been visible if the stela was then painted. A further corner fragment of stela was identified in 1996, and is illustrated here, Figures 1—2. It has now been incorporated, with a direct join to a piece in Philadelphia, into Canby's reconstruction (ead.: 37, pis 11, 52, no. 66b: 1927—5—27, 1 = 118545). retention of this piece in London, and other inappropriate separations of Ur material, which continue to cause confusion, are explained partly by attitudes to antiquities then current, and partly by the system employed in allocating objects and by the personalities involved, as described by H. Y. F. Winstone, Woolley of Ur (London, 1990), p. 130, 133, 184-189.

The Persepolis Sculptures in the British Museum

R.D. Barnett in his useful article Persepolis in Iraq XIX (1957) lists the fragments of relief sculpture from Persepolis in the collection of the British Museum, and seeks to identify their original locations in the palace. He indicates that most of them derive from a visit to the site by His Britannic Majesty's Ambassador at the Court of Persia, Sir Gore Ouseley, in 1811. He was accompanied on this expedition by his elder brother Sir William Ouseley, Kt (1769-1842), and by Robert Gordon. Both Sir Gore and Sir Ouseley brought away fragments of sculpture for their own private collections, and Gordon obtained pieces for his brother George Hamilton Gordon, and it is mainly these reliefs which constitute the British Museum collection. Much of this is indicated by Barnett, but there is some lack of clarity in his article about pieces came from which private collection. The main purpose of this article is to clarify these points, which bear more on ninetheen century than on ancient history, but occasion has been taken to include other data, particularly concerning the inscriptions.

A Fragment of Anglian Sculpture from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire

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A New Reading of a Pilaster Capital from St.-Guilhem-le-Désert at the Cloisters

Previous articleNext article No AccessA New Reading of a Pilaster Capital from St.-Guilhem-le-Désert at the CloistersDaniel KletkeDaniel Kletke Search for more articles by this author PDFPDF PLUS Add to favoritesDownload CitationTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints Share onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail SectionsMoreDetailsFiguresReferencesCited by Metropolitan Museum Journal Volume 301995 Sponsored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art Article DOIhttps://doi.org/10.2307/1512947 Views: 1Total views on this site Citations: 1Citations are reported from Crossref Copyright 1995 The Metropolitan Museum of ArtPDF download Crossref reports the following articles citing this article:Alexander Pechuro, Amos Kloner, Michael Cohen Sculptural Fragments of the Furniture from the Crusader Church at Beth Guvrin, Levant 43, no.11 (Jul 2013): 51–77.https://doi.org/10.1179/007589111X12966443320855

De la façade à tour(s) à la façade-écran dans les pays de l'Ouest : l'exemple de Saint-Jean-de-Montierneuf de Poitiers

Several exploratory excavations undertaken to the West of Saint-John of Montierneuf at Poitiers in 1990 have made it possible to retrace the Romanesque façade of the church. The projected two-towered façade (before 1086) was only launched. It was rapidly abandoned for a straight "screen façade" (around 1086/96). Both the avorted project, and the subsequent realization, reveal that the building was conceived on a proportional system using squares as a module. Fragments of sculpture from decorated archivolts have been located in the actual façade. On can conclude from these observations that the Romanesque façade at Montierneuf could have served as a prototype for the great decorated "screen façades" of the West of France, after the decline of the simple gable façade and the tower-porch which tended to replace it. This type of façade can be considered as an idealization of the gable-end of the urbain house. As the abbey was founded and sponsored by Guy-Geoffroy- Guillaume, Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine, it would not be surprising to find that his church influenced subsequent constructions in the region.

A Medieval Choirstall Desk-End at Haddon Hall: The Fox-Bishop and the Geese-Hangmen

AbstractAn unprovenanced fragment of wood sculpture from Haddon Hall is shown to be a medieval desk-end of special iconographical and sculptural interest. Probably dating from shortly after the 1380s, it incorporates one of the earliest known examples of the fox-as-bishop sequence of scenes in European woodwork, as well as the earliest extant English vernacular inscription in woodwork.

Acquisition and Supply of Casts of the Parthenon Sculptures by the British Museum, 1835–1939

The development of our present-day knowledge of the Parthenon sculptures can be charted in the history of the British Museum's casts of them. Following their acquisition in 1816, the Elgin Marbles were added to periodically in an attempt to render the collection – at least where the Parthenon sculptures were concerned – as complete as possible. These additions include some fragments of original sculpture but, mostly, they consist of casts of sculpture found on the Acropolis following Greek independence. The activities of the Greek Archaeological Society on the Acropolis, removing later accretions and restoring the monuments, created a desire in Athens for casts of the Elgin Marbles. The story of the two-way traffic in casts between Athens and London is told here and documented from the archives of the British Museum.

Conversion of azurite into tenorite

In the vicinity of Berne Minster in Switzerland, 500 fragments of numerous late gothic polychromed sandstone sculptures deliberately destroyed in 1528 were recovered. A preliminary study of the painting technique and materials showed that, among other pigments, azurite had been used. This particular pigment showed the presence of black products on the surface of its grains. As similar observations of blackish conversion of basic cupric carbonates on Swiss wall paintings had been made previously, a study into the nature of this product was carried out. The authors were able to show that azurite had converted into black cupric oxide (tenorite) when exposed to the slightly basic environment of the burial site. Identical conversion products could be obtained experimentally on both artificial and natural azurite.

The Porticello Shipwreck: A Mediterranean Merchant Vessel of 415-385 B.C.

The Porticello Shipwreck provides unique information on seafaring technologies and trade practices at the turn of the fifth century B.C.This volume is the final report of the excavation, including detailed analyses of the ship and its contents and a thorough catalog of artifacts associated with the shipwreck. The Porticello wreck documents for the Classical period aspects of anchor, sail, and hull construction. The cargo provides the earliest evidence for maritime trade in ink and the export of Athenian lead to the Mediterranean, and the cargo of amphoras is the largest assemblage of Greek and Punic amphoras from a shipwreck site.Of particular importance are the fragments of bronze Greek sculpture of the Classical period, which include a strikingly realistic bearded head. These pieces strongly suggest that techniques of Classical Greek bronze casting were much more varied and complex than art historians previously has though possible.The information in this book will be of great value to students of Classical Greek archaeology, sculpture, and economics as well as those interested in ancient maritime history.

An Introduction to Greek Art

The fragments of Greek sculpture and vase painting that have survived into the twentieth century are like pieces of a shattered mirror reflecting the former glory of Greek art. Though some of the images are obviously beautiful, others require interpretation before their true quality can become apparent. This book, designed primarily as an introduction for students, helps the reader trace the development of Greek art in the immensely creative period from the eighth to the fourth century BC - the period between the composition of the Homeric poems and the conquests of Alexander the Great. Important works are generously illustrated and lucidly analysed, so that an integrated picture of Greek art emerges.

The Development of Nabat Aean Sculpture at Petra and Khirbet Tannur

A re-examination of the sculptural fragments from Kirbet Tannur shows that they are related to the distinct stratigraphical periods of the altar pedestal. This reveals a consistency within each period, as well as developments between the periods, which were not distinguished by Glueck. The sculpture at Petra is examined in relation to the chronology of the principal monuments. The same developments are observed at both: the classical features are strongest in the earlier examples, while they are gradually simplified in the later examples as a Nabataean style develops. A list of the sculpture at Petra is included.

The Early Christian Sculpture at Grado: A Reconsideration

The large corpus of Early Christian sculpture fragments at Grado has attracted a fair amount of attention from Italian scholars. The present contribution aims: (a) to provide an analysis which reconsiders the conventional stylistic and chronological view; (b) to establish these sculptures as the production of a local/regional workshop; and (c) to raise certain questions regarding the relationship of the examples from Grado to Early Christian sculpture at other sites in the Upper Adriatic region.

An Early Imperial Pseudodipteral Temple at Sardis

The building conventionally referred to as the Early Imperial Temple was discovered and excavated during the 1981 and 1982 seasons at Sardis. Only one corner of the external colonnade has been uncovered; it is preserved to stylobate level with parts of two bases and one column in situ; no other upper parts are preserved. On the basis of architectural form it is tentatively restored as a pseudodipteral temple of the early- or mid-first century A. C. with Vitruvian "systyle" proportions. Coins give a date of destruction in the reign of Antoninus Pius. Other finds include fragments of monumental sculpture in marble and bronze. The building is tentatively identified as an official temple of the imperial cult. It is only the second temple physically attested in situ at Sardis and the eleventh pseudodipteros known to have been built in Greek Asia Minor in later Hellenistic or early imperial times; in Roman times these temples represented a conservative tradition of design and most of them were dedicated or rededicated to the imperial cult.

The Imagery of The Octagon at Ely

AbstractThis paper investigates for the first time the imagery of the octagonal crossing-tower at Ely Cathedral, attempting a reconstruction of the original programme in the light of newly-discovered sculptural fragments and antiquarian drawings. The scheme is shown to have been extremely sophisticated, articulated through a variety of media, including wall-paintings, stained glass and sculpture in stone and wood. The relationship between Ely and Westminster is touched upon and the view of recent research that there was a much closer connexion between works executed at the Court and those in the provinces than had formerly been supposed is supported by the discovery of an Ely model for some of the wall-paintings in the palatine chapel of St Stephen, hitherto seen as rather isolated in mid fourteenth-century England. The iconography of the Octagon's imagery and its original place within the great architectural works then being undertaken at Ely is also analysed, and it is suggested that the man responsible...