Ornament and Figure in Graeco-Roman Art: Rethinking Visual Ontologies in Classical Antiquity

Published by De Gruyter 2018

Ornament and Figure in Graeco-Roman Art

Rethinking Visual Ontologies in Classical Antiquity

Edited by: Nikolaus Dietrich and Michael Squire

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110469578

Overview
Contents

About this book

How does ‘decoration’ work? What are the relations between ‘figurative’ and ‘ornamental’ modes? And how do such modern western distinctions relate to other critical traditions? While these questions have been much debated among art historians, our book offers an ancient visual cultural perspective. On the one hand, we argue, Greek and Roman materials have proved instrumental in shaping modern assumptions. On the other hand, those ideologies are fundamentally removed from ancient ideas: an ancient perspective can therefore shed light on larger aesthetic debates about what images are – or indeed what they should be.
This anthology of specially commissioned essays explores a variety of case studies (both literary and art historical alike): it discusses materials from across the ancient Mediterranean, and from Geometric art all the way through to late antiquity; the book also tackles questions of ‘figure’ and ‘ornament’ in relation to different media – including painting, free-standing statues, relief sculpture, mosaics and architecture. A particular feature of the volume lies in bringing together different national academic traditions, building a bridge between formalist approaches and broader cultural historical perspectives.

Author / Editor information

Nikolaus Dietrich, Universität Heidelberg; Michael Squire, King´s College London.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Acknowledgements Michael Squire and Nikolaus Dietrich Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	VII
Notes on contributors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	IX
‘To haunt, to startle, and way-lay’: Approaching ornament and figure in Graeco-Roman art Michael Squire Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Figürlicher Schmuck in der griechischen Architektur zwischen Dekor und Repräsentation Tonio Hölscher Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
Ornamental and formulaic patterns: The semantic significance of form in early Greek vase-painting and Homeric epic Jonas Grethlein Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	73
Ornament und Design: Attisch geometrische Figuralgefäße und Gefäße mit plastischem Dekor Annette Haug Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	97
Armure et ornement dans l’imagerie attique François Lissarrague Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	129
Beneath the handles of Attic vases Nikolina Kéi Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Order and contingency in Archaic Greek ornament and figure Nikolaus Dietrich Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	167
Ornament, incipience and narrative: Geometric to Classical Richard Neer Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	203
Of sponges and stones: Matter and ornament in Roman painting Verity Platt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	241
Esteemed ornament: An overlooked value for approaching Roman visual culture Nicola Barham Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
Delectari varietate: Zur Erklärung der repetitiven Darstellung auf dem ‚Puteal Tegel‘ Arne Reinhardt Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	299
Figure and ornament, death and transformation in the Tomb of the Haterii Jennifer Trimble Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	327
Ornament, figure and mise en abyme on Roman sarcophagi Jaś Elsner Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	353
Aus der Perspektive der römischen Bodenmosaiken: Ornamentalisierte Figuren oder figuralisierte Ornamente? Susanne Muth Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	393

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Students and scholars in the fields of art history and classical studies
Pages
- Front matter: 12
- Main content: 422
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 130
- Coloured Illustrations: 35
Keywords: Graeco-Roman visual culture; ornament/decoration; mimesis; ancient aesthetics

eBook

Published: March 19, 2018
ISBN: 9783110469578

Hardcover

Published: March 19, 2018
ISBN: 9783110460155