Sarcophagus from Cerveteri
Also, known as the Sarcophagus of the Spouses was found in the ancient Etruscan city of Caere (now Cerveteri, Italy). The painted terracotta sarcophagus, which originally would have housed human remains was discovered in a tomb during archaeological excavations in the Banditaccia necropolis during the nineteenth century and now resides in the Museo Nazionale di Villa Giulia in Rome. It dates back to c. 520 B.C.E. and is made from terracotta, the sarcophagus measures: 3 feet 9-1/2 inches by 6 feet 7 inches.
The sarcophagus shows a couple relaxing on a Bed or a cushion the kind they would have used at a banquet. “The body of the sarcophagus is styled so as to resemble a kline (dining couch).” This piece was so large
…show more content…
The figure shows warmth of a loving couple with their arms around one of the figures and the other with her arms outstretched as if welcoming you to join them.
The elaborate sarcophagus is an indication of how important Etruscan funerary customs were to the Etruscan Elite and how they took careful preparations to ensure the deceased entered the afterlife in good standing. Although this piece may be stylized in appearance it still shows that the artist took care to incorporate local customs as well as worldly features in this sculpture.
This piece reminds me of the “Terracotta Warriors” in the Shaanxi province of China. c. 210–209 B.C.E. The Terracotta Army was sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. This too was a form of funerary art buried with the emperor and whose purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.
In this image you can see the detail the artist went into with the sculpture of the Warrior and his Hoarse. The characteristics of this sculpture and that of the Sarcophagus of the Spouses bare striking similarities in the face and body. The lifelike appearance of the hoarse is also
When an Etruscan person died, they would be cremated and would be seen as entering a new life. They would put the remains in a special urn called Etruscan hut urn (c. 800 B.C.E.), this urn was another ‘home’ for the afterlife.
In the ancient Egyptian culture, the belief was that there was a life force and spirit inside of the body, known as the ‘Ka’. Therefore, mummification was performed as a ritual to preserve the physical features of the body as well as to protect its inner spirit, mainly to ensure that the ‘Ka’ could recognize the body where it may dwell in the eternal life. Thus, the funerary psychology of ancient Egyptians was that death did not bring an end to living, but instead was only an escape from the physical human life and a gateway to immortal being. Due to the fact that a being’s life span was short in ancient times, people’s main hopes rested in their afterlives, where they would be with the gods (Stockstad 121).
A sense of royal dignity, composure, and stability are created by the facial expression, the fixed pose, and the rectangular throne and high base from which the proportioned and frontal figure emerges. Cracks in the face, neck, and torso indicate ancient damage sustained by the sculpture.
The subject does not accurately depict the human anatomy. In fact, while studying this figure, one may notice that geometric shapes make up many of the limbs. For example, the artist uses ovals to represent the palm of the hands, the shoulders and the knees. The man's chest is in the form of squares with rounded edges and with perfect little white circles as nipples. This...
The statue of King Menkaure and his Queen exhibits with clarity the Egyptian devotion of art to a cannon of proportions. Its strictly frontal view point, the rigid poses of the figures, and a faithful accordance to rules and established customs can be interpreted as manifesting the nature of the Pharaoh’s authority over his subjects while at the same time exemplifying the highly regulated, hierarchical structure of ancient Egyptian society. The measured grid of verticals and counterbalancing horizontals, the stiff artificial postures and the overall idealized anatomical shapes of the bodies combined with naturalism is indicative of Egyptian taste for art and a representation of the character of Egyptian culture.
With works in every known medium, from every part of the world, throughout all points in history, exploring the vast collection of the Museum of Modern Art was an overwhelming experience. The objects in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts are an important historical collection, reflecting the development of a number of art forms in Western Europe. The department's holdings covered sculpture in many sizes, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, jewelry, and tapestries. The gallery attracted my appreciation of the realistic qualities of the human body often portrayed in sculpture.
In all societies, the practices associated with religion, burial and death have given archaeology and history detailed information concerning the nature of a society. It is through the study of symbology in particular that we are able to discern the significance of the Minoan religion as it represents various aspects of their religious beliefs and display the impact it has on their everyday lives. Key symbols like the birds, bulls, horns of consecration and double axe can be seen throughout the island of Crete as well as on votive offerings given to their gods from their worshippers.
The earliest frescoes come from the Minoan civilization of Bronze Age Crete, used to illustrate scenes of everyday life with the absence of warfare and hunting scenes, which were very popular in Mycenaean art. The walls of the Minoan palace were decorated with beautiful frescoes. This paper is going to discus how Hagia Triada Sarcophagus is similar in style to Minoan palace frescoes.
With regard to the statues dimensions, it is 25x5x4 inches and was cast by Vilardy in 2012 using a bronze alloy. The bronze alloy that the statue is composed of is a metallic brown color which resembles the actual alloy bronze. The medium that the artist used helps to provide the sculpture with an aged look. However, the exhibit also includes various hand drawn and painted images that are included to help reinforce the overarching theme of the exhibit and the theme that the sculpture elicits. The sculpture is meant to reflect the circus and some of the various activities that are preformed there. The subject matter of the sculpture isn’t abstracted compared to some of Vilardy’s other works, but rather it is an accurate representation of the circus from the point of view of Vilardy. The artist aims to produce an accurate depiction of an equilibrist and how they would perform at a traditional circus. Moreover, the artist produced the sculpture so that it conveys a sense of motion while also making it look realistic and natural. The sculpture itself is rather plain, but there are various aspects of the work that allow the viewer to gain a better understanding of the work itself while also providing insight into the author and his experiences. The title “Equilibrista” further helps to provide various details about the artist while also providing information about the sculptures subject matter. The predominant shapes found within the sculpture are similar to a human and is subsequently proportional. This is due to the fact that the sculptor based his work upon a circus performer and thus ensured that the statues dimensions would accurately reflect an actual human being. In addition to this, the sculpture contains a curved line which is used to help imitate how an equilibrist would preform
For my final project I chose to compare two works of art from ancient Mesopotamia. A visual work of art and a literary one. The visual work of art I chose was the Statuettes of Worshipers which were created around 2900 to 2350 BCE at the Square Temple at Eshnunna, a city in ancient Mesopotamia. The literary artwork I have chosen is the Epic of Gilgamesh written roughly around 2800 BCE by author or authors unknown. It was set in Uruk, another city in ancient Mesopotamia. Both of these works of art share a common theme; the theme of immortality. It is my hopes that within this paper I can accurately show how each of these works of art express this theme, and how it relates to modern society.
Both the Mummy Portrait and the Bust of a Matron commemorate the individual through their truthful appearance using different artistic mediums and practices. Both objects, coming from Egypt, present this fluidity in and a multitude of styles that was circulating in the Roman Empire. On one hand, the Mummy Portrait of a Woman combines Ancient Egyptian burial practices with modern Roman encaustic panel portraiture. While the Mummy Portrait would have been an object that would no longer be visible after the woman’s burial, the portrait pays homage to her by giving an identity to her mummified corpse and preserving her in this vivid image. On the other hand, the Bust of a Matron follows closely with versitic Roman sculptural portraiture practices, showing the artist’s ability to render a realistic portrait that communicates her virtue to the viewer. The bust would have been a public object, accessible to her descendants to commemorate her contributions to the family. The artist portrays her biography through the signs of aging present on her face, implying that she was a public servant who contributed to the society of her
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
... marble block of what seems to be two gladiators fighting and a feline attacking. The graffiti was most likely drawn by a spectator at one of the games. This artifact shows how important the events of the Colosseum were to the lives and culture of the Romans.
The sculpture is a good example of the recurring trends and subjects that were prevalent in the art of the Hellenistic period. Darker subjects, such as death, pain and sorrow, were just as popular as the more optimistic themes of patriotism, courage, and heroism. Usually these themes were explored in relation to intense events such as wars. Interestingly, the sculpture of the dying Gaul touches on themes related to pain, suffering, valor, patriotism, and death at the same time. Even though the agony communicates visibly to the viewer by the crooked lines on the dying Gaul’s forehead, painful eyes, its genital...
This stone sculpture is a naked human-like figure standing six feet tall. The body is in chiasmos stance with the left leg slightly bent and the left foot slightly behind the right. The head is turned slightly downward and to the right, and its size is approximately 1/6 of the body. The hair is cropped closely to the head with no part. The body has a defined musculature, however the forearms appear to be missing. There is an object behind and to the right of the right leg that is about 2 feet tall and 10 inches wide.