Early Greek portraiture : monuments and histories / Catherine M. Keesling, Georgetown University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Keesling, Catherine M., 1965- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Portrait sculpture, Greek.

Portrait sculpture, Ancient--Greece.

Portrait sculpture, Ancient.

Portraits--Social aspects--Greece--History.

Portraits.

Monuments--Greece--History.

Monuments.

Excellence--Social aspects--Greece--History.

Excellence.

Gods, Greek--Social aspects--History.

Gods, Greek.

Heroes--Social aspects--Greece--History.

Heroes.

Social aspects.

History.

Portraits--Social aspects.

Greece--Antiquities.

Greece.

Antiquities.

Greece--Social life and customs.

Manners and customs.

Greece--Historiography.

Historiography.

Physical Description:

xvii, 309 pages ; 27 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2017.

Summary:

"In this book, Catherine M. Keesling lends new insight into the origins of civic honorific portraits that emerged at the end of the fifth century BC in ancient Greece. Surveying the subjects, motives and display contexts of Archaic and Classical portrait sculpture, she demonstrates that the phenomenon of portrait representation in Greek culture is complex and without a single, unifying history. Bringing a multi-disciplinary approach to the topic, Keesling grounds her study in contemporary texts such as Herodotus' Histories and situates portrait representation within the context of contemporary debates about the nature of arete (excellence), the value of historical commemoration and the relationship between the human individual and the gods and heroes. She argues that often the goal of Classical portraiture was to link the individual to divine or heroic models. Offering an overview of the role of portraits in Archaic and Classical Greece, her study includes local histories of the development of Greek portraiture in sanctuaries such as Olympia, Delphi and the Athenian Acropolis"--Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction: Why portraits?

Part I. Portraits among Heroes and Gods

1. From votive statues to honorific portraits

2. Arete, heroism, and divine choice in early Greek portraiture

3. Portraits in Greek sanctuaries

Part II. Documenting Archaic and Classical Greek History

4. Retrospective portraits as historical documents

5. Early Greek portraits under Roman rule : removal, renewal, reuse, and reinscription

Conclusion: The limits of representation.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781107162235

1107162238

OCLC:

974869007