The lead strips are inscribed with another phrase, in handwriting similar to that on the foot, partially preserving the names of its sculptors: “ … ηνοδο … φων Ροδος εποo …” (enodotos and … phon of Rhodes made it).įigure 8.1. 3 Inside the statue were four fragments of a lead tablet, three of which were exhibited in Power and Pathos. The image’s peculiar style led to debate over its date that continued until 1967, when Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway argued persuasively that the Piombino Apollo was made in the Late Hellenistic period. 1 On the statue’s left foot, in capital letters, the phrase “ … ος Αθαναια δεκαταν” (… os dedicated this as a tithe to Athena) was cut in the metal after casting 2 and inlaid with silver. The Piombino Apollo was discovered underwater and sold at Livorno in 1832 in 1834 it was acquired by the Louvre. 8.1, right) were installed side by side for the first time in the exhibition Power and Pathos, which made it possible to compare and contrast the two figures and to raise new questions about their similarities and differences. That statue and the similar Apollo from Pompeii ( fig. The Piombino Apollo has recently undergone new studies of its production, measurements, alloy, and associated inscriptions ( fig. Why have we been so slow to recognize this class of ancient bronzes? Is it because we might have to describe them not as statuary bronzes belonging to the major arts, but rather as interior decor, as a minor art, or-perhaps somewhat easier on our own aesthetic perceptions-as luxury art? Will familiar works like the Apollo from Piombino and Apollo the Citharist from Pompeii no longer shape our modern aesthetic? Is it possible that even statues such as the Marathon Boy will be moved from future discussions of Classical sculpture into the category of luxury arts? A new and expanded view of the luxury arts may well change our comprehension of ancient art. Interestingly enough, no marble examples of this type have as yet been identified, and so far none of the bronzes can be securely dated before the Hellenistic period. It appears to be a genre that was very popular in wealthy homes of the Graeco-Roman world. So in what sense are they statues? One by one, these bronzes are being added to an ever-expanding genre of what might better be described as luxury furniture-tray-bearers and lamp-holders. Two of the figures previously identified as statues were in fact discovered in triclinia. At least one wall-painting depicts such a tray-bearer on a base in a triclinium, and literary testimonia also refer to such figures. At least three of these figures originally recognized simply as statues were found together with fragments that were identified after reconstruction as elaborate supports for trays. Other evidence suggests a different interpretation. Many of them are now assigned to the Hellenistic or Graeco-Roman period, the explanation being that wealthy Romans continued to enjoy earlier styles of statuary. Next Page (right keyboard arrow or swipe)Ī number of large-scale bronzes that have been identified by scholars as being Archaic, Classical, or Hellenistic statues of kouroi, mellephebes, a very young Apollo, or Dionysos may need to be reclassified.
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