Monday, January 30, 2017

Roman Marbles in Saint Petersburg

Pan
Rome - 2nd century BC
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Danaë
Rome - 2nd century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Torso of an athlete
Rome - 1st century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Torso of an Emperor
Rome - 2nd century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

An antique statue without a head is a great inspirer of confidence. Relatively few antique torsos were discovered with attached heads, yet a quite high proportion of the antique torsos on view in the world since the Renaissance have been displayed with attached heads. How is this possible? Patched-together composites of ancient fragments (with newly carved bits filling in gaps) were created, mostly in Italy, and marketed all over Europe until well along in the 19th century. A frankly headless torso or statue is simply less likely to have been misleadingly interfered with.

Isis
Rome - 2nd century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Portrait head of a woman
Rome - AD 160-170
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Head of an athlete
Rome - 2nd century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Portrait of Cornelia Salonina
Rome - AD 250
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Portrait of Emperor Lucius Verus
Rome - AD-150-175
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Artemis
Rome - 2nd century BC
marble relief-fragment
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Ganymede with Eagle
Rome - 2nd century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Peterburg

Funerary statue of a man
Rome - AD 150-175
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Funerary statue of a woman
Rome - AD 150-175
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Fountain statue of Cupid riding Dolphin
Rome - 3rd century BC
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg

Panther head on Sphinx body
Rome - 1st century AD
marble
Hermitage, Saint Petersburg