Art of the Classical World in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Greece, Cyprus, Etruria, Rome

by Carlos A. Picon, Seán Hemingway, Christopher S. Lightfoot

Nearly 500 outstanding objects from the collection of the Department of Greek and Roman Art in the Metropolitan Museum are assembled in this generously illustrated publication, published to coincide with the opening of the Museum’s new galleries of Hellenistic, Etruscan, and Roman art, and comprehensive Study Center.
The volume includes a detailed history of the collection by Carlos A. Picón and seven chapters that reflect the scope of the collection: the Neolithic and the Aegean Bronze Age, Geometric and Archaic Greece, Classical Greece, the Hellenistic Age, Cyprus, Etruria, and the Roman Empire. Notable are such treasures as a Cycladic figure of about 4500–4000 B.C., a fascinating and meticulously restored bronze and ivory Etruscan chariot from the sixth century B.C., and a number of well-preserved Roman wall paintings. An entry section includes an informative text about each object, along with a map for each chapter and a selection of drawings and details.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

508 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2007

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pictures of works in the Met collection. 28 pages of text. Article on the history of the Greek and Roman department at the Met.

[William Southwell-Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully put together large-format catalogue for the permanent exhibition of Classical Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Everything presented in it is beautiful or interesting: most objects are both. Alongside the chronologically and historical-culture based chapters on the art itself (ranging from the prehistoric Cycladic through to mid-Imperial Rome) there is a fascinating chapter on the history and acquisition of the collection as well as the building of the museum.

The only small critiques I have are that perhaps a little more contextual information for each of the main sections could have been provided, what is there is a little scant, and that the cut-off date of the 3rd Century AD seems relatively arbitrary given the Museum's strong holdings in Late Roman and Byzantine Art.