Introduction
Metropolitan Museum features a vast and diverse collection of both Greek and Roman art, thus shedding light on the culture of two great civilizations of European Antiquity. Among other things, the museum’s collection includes a large number of Greek and Roman sculptures. Even more importantly, these sculptures come from all periods of ancient history, including archaic Greece, Hellenism, and the age of the Roman Empire. This fact allows one to access the cultural evolution of the antique sculpture from the archaic period in Greece to the high point of the Roman Empire’s might. Naturally, if one views the artworks in this context, one is bound to note the differences characterizing artistic priorities and values of each particular period. Assessing three sculptures from Archaic Greece to the High Empire demonstrates that religion has always played a prominent role in ancient art, but apart from that, the statues illustrate different influences and values.
Marble Statue of a Kouros
The first artwork examined in this paper is a statue of a Kouros or young man. Carved from marble in the 6th century BC, it is, according to the description, one of the first human statues made of this material in Attica (“Kouros”). It depicts the man in full size and, possibly, even slightly larger than he was in real life, as its height is 76 5/8 inches or 194.6 cm (“Kouros”). The young man depicted in the artwork stands high, with a straight back, arms on the sides, and the left leg put forward, The man’s posture is upright and even rigid, which only strengthens the impression from the perfect geometrical symmetry of the body. The face of the statue is dispassionate, and the young man looks forward without a sign of any emotion, contributing to the impassive geometrical strictness of the artwork. The man’s hair is woven into several long braids, thus creating an elaborate hairstyle that likely signifies his high social station. Overall, the sculpture’s main feature is its geometric propriety that manifests in perfect symmetry and is further reinforced by a simple pose.
Coming from the archaic Greek period, which precedes the classical period of democratic poleis, the statue reveals much about its age. First of all, it signifies the importance of religion for the Greeks of the time: according to the museum description, the statue marked “the grave of a young Athenian aristocrat (“Kouros”). This means the sculpture likely had some ritual meaning for those who commissioned it, signifying that close ties of ancient art to belief systems of the time. Additionally, the man’s rigid posture and the pose with the left leg put forward are reminiscent of Ancient Egyptian wall paintings. This impression is accurate: as the description states, the statue’s stance was indeed “derived from Egyptian art” (“Kouros”). Finally, the statue also reveals the social values of the time, at least to a certain degree. As mentioned above, it depicts not a random person, but a young aristocrat – and, as such, may signify the importance and influence of nobility in archaic, pre-democratic Ancient Greece.
Marble Statue of an Old Woman
The second artwork covered in this paper is the statue of an old woman. The particular sculpture on display comes from the early Roman Empire – more specifically, the Julio-Claudian period that had lasted from 16 to 68 AD (“Old Woman”). However, the description states that this sculpture is a copy of a Greek work coming from the second century BC – that is, the Hellenistic period. The statue is carved of marble and is 48 5/7 inches or 125.98 cm high (“Old Woman”). It depicts an elderly woman clad in complex garments and carrying a basket filled with fruit as well as two chickens. In order to further emphasize the woman’s age, the statue hunches forward and also tries to lean right as if the basket in the left-hand weights too much. The artist pays great attention to the numerous folds of the woman’s garment, thus creating a very realistic depiction. The woman’s hair is covered, which probably also serves to signify her old age, but there is also an ivy wreath on her head.
This sculpture is all the more interesting because, in a sense, it belongs to two times simultaneously: the Hellenistic period when the original was made and the early Roman Empire when the copy was created. Just as the previous example, it illustrates the importance of religious motives permeating ancient art. The ivy wreath decorating the woman’s head is associated with Dionysos, the god of wine, and the woman likely hurries to the festival in the god’s honor (“Woman”). Additionally, the artwork reveals a particular shift in theme. If in archaic Greece only nobles could expect to be immortalized as statues, Hellenistic art broadened its focus “to include genre-like figures from the fringes of society” (“Old Woman”). Thus, if Greeks of the archaic period stressed aristocratic origin as an ultimate value, their Hellenistic descendants were more interested in interpreting life in all of its forms, noble or not. Finally, the fact that the artwork is a Roman copy of a Greek original testifies that Hellenistic Greek art was probably as influential in the Roman Empire as Egyptian art was in archaic Greece.
Marble Statue of a Wounded Amazon
The third and final piece of art examined in this paper is the Roman statues portraying a wounded amazon. It belongs to the so-called period of the High Empire – that is, the 1st or 2nd century AD (“Wounded Amazon”). Just as the two statues discussed above, it is carved from marble – the staple material of Greek and Roman sculpture (“Wounded Amazon”). Depicting the subject in full size, it is 80 1/4 inches or 203.84 cm high (“Wounded Amazon”). The sculpture represents an Amazon – a mythical female warrior from Asia Minor – wounded in a battle. Unlike the old woman discussed above, the amazon only wears a simple chiton which would not constrain her movements on combat – and even it is unfastened on the left shoulder. There is blood leaking from a wound right after the woman’s left breast, but the statue’s face betrays no sign of pain or suffering and stays calm and even serene. The only visual indication of weakness is that the amazon leans upon the column right next to her, but otherwise, she seems undisturbed by her – most likely deadly – wound.
Again, just as the examples above, this artwork allows us to learn much about the artistic influences and values of the time. Once again, the religious motive is apparent: the statue probably belonged to the temple of Artemis in Ephesos, as the mythical Amazons “had legendary and cultic connections to the goddess” (“Wounded Amazon”). Additionally, amazons most commonly posed as battling “Herakles, Achilles, and Theseus” – that is, heroes coming from Greek mythology, although recognized in Rome as well (“Wounded Amazon”). As a result, much like the statue of the old woman, the wounded amazon illustrates Greek influence over Roman art. Finally, one may also link the calm demeanor of the woman to the values of the Roman society of the time. Undisturbed by her wound, the dispassionate amazon embodies contempt of death and bodily suffering that likely resonated with the Romans as conquerors and empire-builders. Thus, one may reasonably assume that the statue of the wounded amazon depicts Roman appreciation of the noble stoicism displayed in the face of suffering and death.
Conclusion
Ancient sculpture from the archaic period in Greece to the times of the High Empire in Rome tells much about the artistic influences and values of the societies that created it. To begin with, all three statues examined in this paper demonstrate profound religious connotations: Kouros serves a ritual purpose, the old woman honor Dionysus, and the Amazon has a strong connection to Artemis. Yet apart from that, the works differ in many respects. Archaic Greek sculpture demonstrates profound Egyptian influence but overcomes its geometric simplicity over time to become, in turn, the authority for the later Roman artists. There are also shifts in theme: archaic Kouros embodies respect for the aristocracy, the Hellenistic statue signifies artistic attention to different social backgrounds, and the dying amazon stresses the virtue of noble stoicism. Thus, despite the same material and subject, each of the three statues discussed is characteristic of its period and demonstrates corresponding features.
References
“Marble Statue of a Kouros (Youth).” Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web.
“Marble Statue of an Old Woman.” Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web.
“Marble Statue of a Wounded Amazon.” Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web.