Looking for a book on Greek sculptures

[kirispupis]

I know this is a bit off topic, but the primary reason I'm interested in this information is for numismatics.

I'm interested in a book that covers the masters of Greek sculpture and includes photos of what are believed to be each of their extant works. I'm okay if these are photos of Roman copies, since those are the majority.

Among the sculptors I'm interested in are:

• Lysippos
• Praxiteles
• Polykleitos
• Daidalos
• Kleon
• Pheidias

I'm also interested in well-known sculptures that are in museums today, but whose sculptors are unknown.

I don't need much theory and exposition. I'm mainly after photos and supposed attributions. I've spent some time searching, and there are a lot of books on Greek sculptures, but I haven't found anything that seems to track the masters individually.

And, if you're curious why I'd like to know, it's because I'm intrigued by coins (usually Roman provincials) depicting these works. However, this itself I believe is an understudied area, so I'd like to begin with a catalog of the works we think we know.

[Dwarf]

John Boardman is always a good start
(sorry for just quoting the German versions - I am sure that google will help)
ZVAB is a German dealer's site for second hand books
https://www.zvab.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30837351453&searchurl=an%3Djohn%2Bboardman%26ds%3D30%26rollup%3Don%26sortby%3D20%26tn%3Dgriechische%2Bplastik%2Bdie&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp0-_-title1

https://www.zvab.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30837351453&cm_sp=SEARCHREC-_-WIDGET-R-_-BDP-L&searchurl=an%3Djohn%20boardman%26ds%3D30%26rollup%3Don%26sortby%3D20%26tn%3Dgriechische%20plastik%20die

Do you know Jochen's big mythology thread on forumancientcoins?
He is always citing references to classical statues

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=25089.0

Regards
Klaus

 

[kirispupis]

37 minutes ago, Dwarf said:

John Boardman is always a good start
(sorry for just quoting the German versions - I am sure that google will help)
ZVAB is a German dealer's site for second hand books
https://www.zvab.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30837351453&searchurl=an%3Djohn%2Bboardman%26ds%3D30%26rollup%3Don%26sortby%3D20%26tn%3Dgriechische%2Bplastik%2Bdie&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp0-_-title1

https://www.zvab.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30837351453&cm_sp=SEARCHREC-_-WIDGET-R-_-BDP-L&searchurl=an%3Djohn%20boardman%26ds%3D30%26rollup%3Don%26sortby%3D20%26tn%3Dgriechische%20plastik%20die

Do you know Jochen's big mythology thread on forumancientcoins?
He is always citing references to classical statues

https://www.forumancientcoins.com/board/index.php?topic=25089.0

Regards
Klaus

 

Thanks! I saw that book, but from a look inside I'm not sure whether it has exactly what I'm looking for.

BTW, in terms of language - I'm fine with English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Russian.

At this point, I'm tempted to go through the relevant sections in Pliny and Pausanias, then just perform an internet search for each sculptor/work and create my own "guide". However, I'm hoping that someone's already done this. 🙂 

[DonnaML]

33 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

BTW, in terms of language - I'm fine with English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Russian.

 

Wow! That's impressive. Are you actually fluent in all those languages? 

[kirispupis]

43 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

Wow! That's impressive. Are you actually fluent in all those languages? 

Not fluent.

English - can get by unless I visit the UK
French - can read it fine and mostly understand it. My accent is so poor though that native speakers have difficulties understanding me. 😞
German - lived there for a bit and I used to be able to switch in and out without problems, but that was 30 years ago and I'm now rusty
Spanish - studied it in high school and college and lived in a bilingual dormitory, but I don't practice it regularly
Italian - can read it fine and can mostly understand it, though I have difficulties with colloquial speech. I need a few days in Italy before I can speak with any ability.
Russian - my wife's family is Russian so it's often spoken at home. I also studied it in college. I can get my point across but I don't have academic vocabulary so reading novels is a challenge

Other languages that I've been conversant in at one point or another, but now would require a few months to ramp up: Turkish, Mandarin, Thai, Latvian, Portuguese
Languages that I've studied but didn't get very far: Finnish, Greek, Swedish, Arabic, Swahili, Luxembourgish 

Edited September 11 by kirispupis

[Deinomenid]

The Sicyon book I think you have had lots towards the back on many leading sculptors given that was the home of so much that was original and brilliant. Text only for the most part.

But Rizzo has many references to sculpture including a lot of images next to coin types - the images are in both sections of his Sicily book, not just in the extensive tables section. He’s a great overall resource as it’s really central to his interest.

[Rand]

@kirispupis I hope you do not mind my joke.

 

I remember you were worried about your wife's health after you 'incidently' received a catalogue of Greek vases and worried she could misinterpret the 'error'. I hope you are mindful about her when ordering books about Greek sculptures 🙂

 

[DonnaML]

2 hours ago, kirispupis said:

At this point, I'm tempted to go through the relevant sections in Pliny and Pausanias, then just perform an internet search for each sculptor/work and create my own "guide". However, I'm hoping that someone's already done this. 🙂 

With so many great world museums having placed photos of their entire collections online, you could probably compile your own catalog just from the collections in and near New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Berlin, Paris, and Rome (including the Vatican)!

[kirispupis]

1 hour ago, Deinomenid said:

The Sicyon book I think you have had lots towards the back on many leading sculptors given that was the home of so much that was original and brilliant. Text only for the most part.

But Rizzo has many references to sculpture including a lot of images next to coin types - the images are in both sections of his Sicily book, not just in the extensive tables section. He’s a great overall resource as it’s really central to his interest.

Yes. The Sikyon book was what got me started, though it focuses mostly on sculptors with connections to Sikyon. For reference, that book is Sikyon by Audrey Griffin.

I'm not familiar with Rizzo (because I rarely dabble in Sicilian coins). Do you mean this one?

 

49 minutes ago, DonnaML said:

With so many great world museums having placed photos of their entire collections online, you could probably compile your own catalog just from the collections in and near New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., London, Berlin, Paris, and Rome (including the Vatican)!

This is a good point. I remember seeing a lot in the Louvre, though I haven't found a decent book covering their Greek and Roman sculptures. I found one that's 96 pages, but I know they have a lot more than that.

 

1 hour ago, Rand said:

I remember you were worried about your wife's health after you 'incidently' received a catalogue of Greek vases and worried she could misinterpret the 'error'. I hope you are mindful about her when ordering books about Greek sculptures 🙂

Your joke reminded me that only a few days ago I was kidding with my wife that we should install a large nude Aphrodite statue on a pedestal in our front yard in order to piss off conservatives (mostly her family). I wasn't serious, but if a book on sculptures arrives she may think I'm scheming to do exactly that!

[Deinomenid]

15 minutes ago, kirispupis said:

Do you mean this one?

Yes. He's extremely focused on style rather than precise dating  or minting techniques, and  constantly references sculpture and other art. His work  is free on academia.edu etc. It's  not  specific to the sculptors on the list,  it's  just the same  approach.

Eg -

 

[NewStyleKing]

Athens New Style Tetradrachm c149/8 BC

Obs : Athena Parthenos right in tri-form helmet
34mm 16.64g Thompson issue 16
Thompson catalogue: Obs 109 : Rev (not in plates)/ NEW?
Rev : AΘE ethnic
Owl standing on overturned panathenaic amphora
on which 2 control letters Ε ? : RF month mark Ι
ΠOΛΥ , TI - MPΔ monogram
2 magistrates : ΠΟΛΥ TIMARCHIDES
Symbol : Palm Leaf (oblique behind owl)

All within a surrounding olive wreath

New Style Issue 16 was dated c. 155-150 b.c. by Morkholm, who rightly identified its second moneyer as the sculptor Timarchides of Thorikos. Timarchides' name recently appeared on a list of hieropoioi from the archonship of Andreas, which Habicht would put a little before 150 bc The senior moneyer is surely his father Polykles, a famous sculptor of the mid second century.
I doubt that any surviving sculptures Greek, or Roman copies that can be attributed to them survive today, but you can look. The quote is from Mattingly, The beginning of the Athenian New Style  RNS 1990

Edited September 12 by NewStyleKing

[Broucheion]

Hi @kirispupis,

Were you thinking of this book “Ancient coins illustrating lost masterpieces of Greek art;: A numismatic commentary on Pausanias, (Argonaut library of antiquities)” ? I haven’t read it but the title sounds promising. A review of it can be read for free on Academia.edu see https://www.academia.edu/90891087/Ancient_Coins_Illustrating_Lost_Masterpieces_of_Greek_Art_A_Numismatic_Commentary_on_Pausanias  )

I found a copy on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-coins-illustrating-masterpieces-Greek/dp/B0007DM40E

- Broucheion 

 

Edited September 13 by Broucheion

[kirispupis]

20 hours ago, Broucheion said:

Hi @kirispupis,

Were you thinking of this book “Ancient coins illustrating lost masterpieces of Greek art;: A numismatic commentary on Pausanias, (Argonaut library of antiquities)” ? I haven’t read it but the title sounds promising. A review of it can be read for free on Academia.edu see https://www.academia.edu/90891087/Ancient_Coins_Illustrating_Lost_Masterpieces_of_Greek_Art_A_Numismatic_Commentary_on_Pausanias  )

I found a copy on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/Ancient-coins-illustrating-masterpieces-Greek/dp/B0007DM40E

- Broucheion 

 

Thanks! This looks to be exactly what I was looking for, so I ordered a copy.