Il volume offre una dettagliata analisi metodologica del genere del ritratto nell’arte greca. Nell’intento di ridiscutere i principi costitutivi della disciplina, l’autore si serve della testimonianza delle fonti letterarie ed epigrafiche, mettendole a sistema con alcuni casi studio che vanno dall’arcaismo alla tarda età classica. Il procedimento conduce al cuore del problema, all’origine di un travaglio spirituale e intellettuale, che nasce allorquando all’immagine generica si sostituisce la raffigurazione dell’individuo. Un percorso non privo di ostacoli e per nulla lineare, che getta luce su un genere artistico diffusissimo nell’antichità classica, ma ancora dibattuto per le sue fasi più antiche.
The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to rethink the foundational principles of the discipline, the author considers the evidence from the literary and epigraphic sources, systematically analysed in some case studies ranging from the archaic to the late classical period. This procedure goes to the heart of the problem, to the origins of the spiritual and intellectual upheaval occasioned when the generic image was replaced by the depiction of the individual. This approach is not without obstacles and is far from straightforward, but sheds light on a genre of art that was extremely widespread in classical antiquity and whose earliest phases are still debated today.
The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to ... more The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to rethink the foundational principles of the discipline, the author considers the evidence from the literary and epigraphic sources, systematically analysed in some case studies ranging from the Archaic to the Late Classical period. This procedure goes to the heart of the problem, to the origins of the spiritual and intellectual upheaval occasioned when the generic image was replaced by the depiction of the individual. This approach is not without obstacles and is far from straightforward, but sheds light on a genre of art that was extremely widespread in classical antiquity and whose earliest phases are still debated today.
The subject of this paper is the marble sculptures complex from the Tavole Palatine, the extra-ur... more The subject of this paper is the marble sculptures complex from the Tavole Palatine, the extra-urban sanctuary of Hera in the ancient city of Metapontum. The starting point of the research consists in a large marble fragment of a female statue, now in the storerooms of the National Archaeological Museum of Metapontum. It is preserved in the central part, approximately at the height of the pelvis and represents a woman wearing a peplos. Archaeometric analysis reveals that the statue is made by lychnites (Paros-1). Through a detailed analysis of the iconographic and stylistic characteristics, this study proposes to date the statue 460 BC. Furthermore, thanks to the comparison with the Nike of Paros, it is highly possible that the production process of the peplophoros involved a Cycladic artisan. The paper also discusses other marble fragments from the sanctuary of Hera, including new findings from the first excavations by the Scuola Superiore Meridionale (2022). Finally, the research investigates the meaning of the statue and the artistic context of city in the late Archaic and early Classical periods.
This paper aims at analysing the historical and social context of the Late-Archaic sculpture work... more This paper aims at analysing the historical and social context of the Late-Archaic sculpture workshops through the case study of two renowned sculptors, Endoios and Philergos. The methodology takes into account the literary and epigraphic tradition, and the sculptures, in order to shed light on the specific features of Endoios and Philergos. Akr. 625 shows the style of this Attic workshop, that invents the type of kore with kolpos and paryphè at c. 530 BC. The hand of Endoios and Philergos also occurs on the friezes of the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi, that should be read as a unit. Lastly, a new interpretation of the signature on the shield of the Gigantomachy is outlined.
This paper deals with the well-known tetradrachm bearing Silenos/Zeus Aitnaios, struck in the nam... more This paper deals with the well-known tetradrachm bearing Silenos/Zeus Aitnaios, struck in the name of the inhabitants of Aitna in the first half of the 5th century BC. Around 475 BC, Hieron took the city of Katane, changing its name to Aitna, deporting its ancient inhabitants and peopling it with Syracusans. After the tyrant’s death, the old inhabitants got back, drove out the Aetnaeans and the city regained its original name. The Aetnaeans moved to Inessa, which was renamed Aitna. In the absence of any archaeological data and due to the high artistic value of the coin, its minting has always been linked to a special event. Thus, the Aitna tetradrachm has been alternatively dated 475 BC (foundation of Katane-Aitna) or 461 BC (foundation of Inessa-Aitna). The low chronology is strongly based on the similarity with another well-known coin type produced in Naxos around 460 BC. The paper analyses the coin from different points of view, taking into account the numismatic, political and artistic issues and trying to widen perspective to the whole context to. In conclusion, the tetradrachm seems to be part of the coin production that took place in Katane-Aitna during the reign of Hieron.
The essay examines an unpublished limestone "Bearded Head" from the collection
of Lamberto and A... more The essay examines an unpublished limestone "Bearded Head" from the collection
of Lamberto and America Vitali that is stored in the Civico Museo Archeologico
of Milan since 2000.
This paper deals with the notion of metal attachments applied on Greek sculpture. The aim is to h... more This paper deals with the notion of metal attachments applied on Greek sculpture. The aim is to highlight the methodological guidelines of the discipline. The Greeks were fond of attaching metal objects on sculptural surfaces. The survey considers the literary and epigraphical testimonia; then, it discusses some Archaic free-standing and relief sculptures, showing the reconstruction of their lost attachments: weapons, jewels, and also wigs and bronze beards. The practice grows with architectural sculpture: a well-known case study is the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi and its mix of marble, metal and painting. The monument is described from a technological point of view. Many holes are drilled for a large number of metal ornaments, weapons, reins, and so on. This analysis demonstrates that metal attachments perform a cultural service, fulfilling Archaic values, revealing identities and iconographies-as for the goddess W8 on the West frieze.
A sculpted marble group of the Athenian ladies and their children in the agora of Troizen (Paus. ... more A sculpted marble group of the Athenian ladies and their children in the agora of Troizen (Paus. II, 31, 7) is a good starting point to provide an overview of fourth-century Greek portraiture. The monument, a memorial of the Persian wars, fits into the zenith of female portrait sculpture. The spread of official typologies of female portraits is probably related to the workshop of Praxiteles and his sons.
The aim of the paper is to investigate the age of Peisistratos in the light of particular finding... more The aim of the paper is to investigate the age of Peisistratos in the light of particular findings: the head from Heraclea Pontica, the Sabouroff Head and the Rampin Horseman. New comparisons highlighted the problem of the origin of Greek portraiture. Are we in the presence of the portrait of a satrap, the tyrant Peisistratos and one of his sons? Still, there isn’t any connection with the customers’ intention to present themselves differently from the traditional idea of aristocratic typology. The aristocratic ethos, more than political implications, has a strong influence from the East to the West. A new interpretation of the scribes from the acropolis of Athens stressed the issue of Eastern models in Archaic art, now linked with a passage in Hdt.2.143.2-144.1. To conclude, the epigram of Alkmeonides son of Alkmeon (IG.I3.1469) shows how far the quest for individuality can go.
The Porticello wreck (Reggio Calabria - Italy), found in 1969, is an extraordinary source of know... more The Porticello wreck (Reggio Calabria - Italy), found in 1969, is an extraordinary source of knowledge of Classical Greek bronze sculpture. The junction operations and compositional analysis of the fragments lead to at least two statues: an elderly male with himation and a young naked man. No fragment of the wreckage belongs to the third sculpture, namely the head from Basel. This paper provides a study of the Porticello bronzes as a whole through iconography and style. Such sculptures raise questions about Greek Classical art: how it develops and communicates with the viewer.
Pausanias (2, 31, 7) remembers the statues of the noble Athenian ladies and their sons, refugees ... more Pausanias (2, 31, 7) remembers the statues of the noble Athenian ladies and their sons, refugees from Athens, in the agorà of Troizen. The sculptural group evokes the Persian Wars, as was a common practice in the second half of the fourth century BC, and is related to the psephisma of Themistokles and the Against Athenogenes by Hyperides. The portraits, dated not long after the return of the exiles due to Alexander's Decree (324 BC), shall be compared to the workshop of Praxiteles and his sons.
The paper provides a re-examination of the marble head from Ostia inscribed with the name of Them... more The paper provides a re-examination of the marble head from Ostia inscribed with the name of Themistokles. Style and iconography, analysis of context and literary sources shed a new light on this controversial portrait: it is, in contrast to the communis opinio, more likely to be an athlete of the Severe Style (maybe the Hermolycus seen by Paus. 1, 23, 10). The outcome is related to the origin of Greek portrait sculpture.
Il volume offre una dettagliata analisi metodologica del genere del ritratto nell’arte greca. Nell’intento di ridiscutere i principi costitutivi della disciplina, l’autore si serve della testimonianza delle fonti letterarie ed epigrafiche, mettendole a sistema con alcuni casi studio che vanno dall’arcaismo alla tarda età classica. Il procedimento conduce al cuore del problema, all’origine di un travaglio spirituale e intellettuale, che nasce allorquando all’immagine generica si sostituisce la raffigurazione dell’individuo. Un percorso non privo di ostacoli e per nulla lineare, che getta luce su un genere artistico diffusissimo nell’antichità classica, ma ancora dibattuto per le sue fasi più antiche.
The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to rethink the foundational principles of the discipline, the author considers the evidence from the literary and epigraphic sources, systematically analysed in some case studies ranging from the archaic to the late classical period. This procedure goes to the heart of the problem, to the origins of the spiritual and intellectual upheaval occasioned when the generic image was replaced by the depiction of the individual. This approach is not without obstacles and is far from straightforward, but sheds light on a genre of art that was extremely widespread in classical antiquity and whose earliest phases are still debated today.
The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to ... more The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to rethink the foundational principles of the discipline, the author considers the evidence from the literary and epigraphic sources, systematically analysed in some case studies ranging from the Archaic to the Late Classical period. This procedure goes to the heart of the problem, to the origins of the spiritual and intellectual upheaval occasioned when the generic image was replaced by the depiction of the individual. This approach is not without obstacles and is far from straightforward, but sheds light on a genre of art that was extremely widespread in classical antiquity and whose earliest phases are still debated today.
The subject of this paper is the marble sculptures complex from the Tavole Palatine, the extra-ur... more The subject of this paper is the marble sculptures complex from the Tavole Palatine, the extra-urban sanctuary of Hera in the ancient city of Metapontum. The starting point of the research consists in a large marble fragment of a female statue, now in the storerooms of the National Archaeological Museum of Metapontum. It is preserved in the central part, approximately at the height of the pelvis and represents a woman wearing a peplos. Archaeometric analysis reveals that the statue is made by lychnites (Paros-1). Through a detailed analysis of the iconographic and stylistic characteristics, this study proposes to date the statue 460 BC. Furthermore, thanks to the comparison with the Nike of Paros, it is highly possible that the production process of the peplophoros involved a Cycladic artisan. The paper also discusses other marble fragments from the sanctuary of Hera, including new findings from the first excavations by the Scuola Superiore Meridionale (2022). Finally, the research investigates the meaning of the statue and the artistic context of city in the late Archaic and early Classical periods.
This paper aims at analysing the historical and social context of the Late-Archaic sculpture work... more This paper aims at analysing the historical and social context of the Late-Archaic sculpture workshops through the case study of two renowned sculptors, Endoios and Philergos. The methodology takes into account the literary and epigraphic tradition, and the sculptures, in order to shed light on the specific features of Endoios and Philergos. Akr. 625 shows the style of this Attic workshop, that invents the type of kore with kolpos and paryphè at c. 530 BC. The hand of Endoios and Philergos also occurs on the friezes of the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi, that should be read as a unit. Lastly, a new interpretation of the signature on the shield of the Gigantomachy is outlined.
This paper deals with the well-known tetradrachm bearing Silenos/Zeus Aitnaios, struck in the nam... more This paper deals with the well-known tetradrachm bearing Silenos/Zeus Aitnaios, struck in the name of the inhabitants of Aitna in the first half of the 5th century BC. Around 475 BC, Hieron took the city of Katane, changing its name to Aitna, deporting its ancient inhabitants and peopling it with Syracusans. After the tyrant’s death, the old inhabitants got back, drove out the Aetnaeans and the city regained its original name. The Aetnaeans moved to Inessa, which was renamed Aitna. In the absence of any archaeological data and due to the high artistic value of the coin, its minting has always been linked to a special event. Thus, the Aitna tetradrachm has been alternatively dated 475 BC (foundation of Katane-Aitna) or 461 BC (foundation of Inessa-Aitna). The low chronology is strongly based on the similarity with another well-known coin type produced in Naxos around 460 BC. The paper analyses the coin from different points of view, taking into account the numismatic, political and artistic issues and trying to widen perspective to the whole context to. In conclusion, the tetradrachm seems to be part of the coin production that took place in Katane-Aitna during the reign of Hieron.
The essay examines an unpublished limestone "Bearded Head" from the collection
of Lamberto and A... more The essay examines an unpublished limestone "Bearded Head" from the collection
of Lamberto and America Vitali that is stored in the Civico Museo Archeologico
of Milan since 2000.
This paper deals with the notion of metal attachments applied on Greek sculpture. The aim is to h... more This paper deals with the notion of metal attachments applied on Greek sculpture. The aim is to highlight the methodological guidelines of the discipline. The Greeks were fond of attaching metal objects on sculptural surfaces. The survey considers the literary and epigraphical testimonia; then, it discusses some Archaic free-standing and relief sculptures, showing the reconstruction of their lost attachments: weapons, jewels, and also wigs and bronze beards. The practice grows with architectural sculpture: a well-known case study is the Siphnian Treasury at Delphi and its mix of marble, metal and painting. The monument is described from a technological point of view. Many holes are drilled for a large number of metal ornaments, weapons, reins, and so on. This analysis demonstrates that metal attachments perform a cultural service, fulfilling Archaic values, revealing identities and iconographies-as for the goddess W8 on the West frieze.
A sculpted marble group of the Athenian ladies and their children in the agora of Troizen (Paus. ... more A sculpted marble group of the Athenian ladies and their children in the agora of Troizen (Paus. II, 31, 7) is a good starting point to provide an overview of fourth-century Greek portraiture. The monument, a memorial of the Persian wars, fits into the zenith of female portrait sculpture. The spread of official typologies of female portraits is probably related to the workshop of Praxiteles and his sons.
The aim of the paper is to investigate the age of Peisistratos in the light of particular finding... more The aim of the paper is to investigate the age of Peisistratos in the light of particular findings: the head from Heraclea Pontica, the Sabouroff Head and the Rampin Horseman. New comparisons highlighted the problem of the origin of Greek portraiture. Are we in the presence of the portrait of a satrap, the tyrant Peisistratos and one of his sons? Still, there isn’t any connection with the customers’ intention to present themselves differently from the traditional idea of aristocratic typology. The aristocratic ethos, more than political implications, has a strong influence from the East to the West. A new interpretation of the scribes from the acropolis of Athens stressed the issue of Eastern models in Archaic art, now linked with a passage in Hdt.2.143.2-144.1. To conclude, the epigram of Alkmeonides son of Alkmeon (IG.I3.1469) shows how far the quest for individuality can go.
The Porticello wreck (Reggio Calabria - Italy), found in 1969, is an extraordinary source of know... more The Porticello wreck (Reggio Calabria - Italy), found in 1969, is an extraordinary source of knowledge of Classical Greek bronze sculpture. The junction operations and compositional analysis of the fragments lead to at least two statues: an elderly male with himation and a young naked man. No fragment of the wreckage belongs to the third sculpture, namely the head from Basel. This paper provides a study of the Porticello bronzes as a whole through iconography and style. Such sculptures raise questions about Greek Classical art: how it develops and communicates with the viewer.
Pausanias (2, 31, 7) remembers the statues of the noble Athenian ladies and their sons, refugees ... more Pausanias (2, 31, 7) remembers the statues of the noble Athenian ladies and their sons, refugees from Athens, in the agorà of Troizen. The sculptural group evokes the Persian Wars, as was a common practice in the second half of the fourth century BC, and is related to the psephisma of Themistokles and the Against Athenogenes by Hyperides. The portraits, dated not long after the return of the exiles due to Alexander's Decree (324 BC), shall be compared to the workshop of Praxiteles and his sons.
The paper provides a re-examination of the marble head from Ostia inscribed with the name of Them... more The paper provides a re-examination of the marble head from Ostia inscribed with the name of Themistokles. Style and iconography, analysis of context and literary sources shed a new light on this controversial portrait: it is, in contrast to the communis opinio, more likely to be an athlete of the Severe Style (maybe the Hermolycus seen by Paus. 1, 23, 10). The outcome is related to the origin of Greek portrait sculpture.
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Il volume offre una dettagliata analisi metodologica del genere del ritratto nell’arte greca. Nell’intento di ridiscutere i principi costitutivi della disciplina, l’autore si serve della testimonianza delle fonti letterarie ed epigrafiche, mettendole a sistema con alcuni casi studio che vanno dall’arcaismo alla tarda età classica. Il procedimento conduce al cuore del problema, all’origine di un travaglio spirituale e intellettuale, che nasce allorquando all’immagine generica si sostituisce la raffigurazione dell’individuo. Un percorso non privo di ostacoli e per nulla lineare, che getta luce su un genere artistico diffusissimo nell’antichità classica, ma ancora dibattuto per le sue fasi più antiche.
The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to rethink the foundational principles of the discipline, the author considers the evidence from the literary and epigraphic sources, systematically analysed in some case studies ranging from the archaic to the late classical period. This procedure goes to the heart of the problem, to the origins of the spiritual and intellectual upheaval occasioned when the generic image was replaced by the depiction of the individual. This approach is not without obstacles and is far from straightforward, but sheds light on a genre of art that was extremely widespread in classical antiquity and whose earliest phases are still debated today.
Papers
of Lamberto and America Vitali that is stored in the Civico Museo Archeologico
of Milan since 2000.
Talks
Il volume offre una dettagliata analisi metodologica del genere del ritratto nell’arte greca. Nell’intento di ridiscutere i principi costitutivi della disciplina, l’autore si serve della testimonianza delle fonti letterarie ed epigrafiche, mettendole a sistema con alcuni casi studio che vanno dall’arcaismo alla tarda età classica. Il procedimento conduce al cuore del problema, all’origine di un travaglio spirituale e intellettuale, che nasce allorquando all’immagine generica si sostituisce la raffigurazione dell’individuo. Un percorso non privo di ostacoli e per nulla lineare, che getta luce su un genere artistico diffusissimo nell’antichità classica, ma ancora dibattuto per le sue fasi più antiche.
The book offers a detailed methodological analysis of the portrait genre in Greek art. Aiming to rethink the foundational principles of the discipline, the author considers the evidence from the literary and epigraphic sources, systematically analysed in some case studies ranging from the archaic to the late classical period. This procedure goes to the heart of the problem, to the origins of the spiritual and intellectual upheaval occasioned when the generic image was replaced by the depiction of the individual. This approach is not without obstacles and is far from straightforward, but sheds light on a genre of art that was extremely widespread in classical antiquity and whose earliest phases are still debated today.
of Lamberto and America Vitali that is stored in the Civico Museo Archeologico
of Milan since 2000.