Similar
Six Greek sculptors (1915) (14596939880)
Summary
Identifier: sixgreeksculptor00gard (find matches)
Title: Six Greek sculptors
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Gardner, Ernest Arthur, 1862-1939
Subjects: Sculptors Sculpture, Greek
Publisher: London : Duckworth and Co. New York : C. Scribner's Sons
Contributing Library: Harold B. Lee Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Brigham Young University
Text Appearing Before Image:
flowers ; and the whole, both throne and statue,was a variegated mass of ivory and ebony, of gold andprecious stones. The richness of this decoration waswell suited to the subdued and reflected light whichcame through the great door or filtered through themarble roof of the temple. The expression of theface shows the same calm dignity and simplicity of stylewhich distinguishes the whole statue; of this we canjudge partly from reproductions on Roman coins,partly from a head now in Boston, which we can, bythe help of these coins, identify as far nearer to thePhidian type than the imposing but somewhat theatricalheads of Zeus produced by later Greek art, for example,the Zeus of Otricoli. In the Boston head, as on thecoins, the hair and beard are treated in smoothly wavedtresses, in contrast to the mane-like and dishevelledlocks of later art; the eyes are not deeply set in thehead, nor is the brow so broad and massive. It ispossible that in this Boston head we may see certain Plate XXVII
Text Appearing After Image:
HEAD OF ZEUS, IN BOSTON To face p. 108 PHIDIAS 109 qualities that have been introduced by a copyist underthe influence of fourth-century art; there is a certainsoftness of modelling and lack of the breadth andmajesty of design which we can recognise in the coin;in this last respect, indeed, the Otricoli head may evenpreserve for us more of the Phidian character. But ifthe Otricoli head is inspired with something of themajesty of the Olympian god, and if the Boston headpreserves for us much of the general appearance of themasterpiece of Phidias, we must admit that both alikefail to give us, by themselves, any complete notion ofthe original. For this we are, after all, reduced to thedescriptions of ancient writers. Such descriptions, asLessing pointed out, are of little use when they try todescribe a work of art in detail; the only way in whicha literary description can really help us is when itdescribes the effect produced by such a work upon thosewho see it. We have such testimony fro
Ernest Arthur Gardner (1862–1939) was a British classicist and archaeologist; he was born in London 16 March 1862, son of Thomas G., stockbroker, and Ann Pearse; educated at the City of London School, and afterwards entered Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. He was appointed Director of the British School of Archaeology, Athens, 1887-95. He assisted Petrie in the excavation of the city of Naucratis 1885-6, helping then and later to establish important connections between Saite Egypt and Greece, and contributing the chapter on the inscriptions to the report. He was of great help to Petrie in his work of cross-dating Egyptian and Aegean objects; he also contributed to Art of Egypt through the Ages, 1931; he died in Maidenhead, 27 Nov. 1939.
Tags
Date
Source
Copyright info
