In ancient Greece architecture, sculpture and painting were greatly admired. They were on view to the public and, therefore, often mentioned in literature. Educated Romans knew about these Greek masterpieces through Greek literature, occasionally from first-hand inspection. Much architecture survives but the sculpture and painting have largely vanished. The more private arts of engraving on gems and painting on pottery were not mentioned. The latter did not pass to Rome but the art of gem engraving has an unbroken tradition to the present day.
This site is dedicated to the art of ancient Greece and Rome, to its collection from antiquity to the present, and to the ways that artists have responded to it.
© Beazley Archive 1997-2008 |
Last updated:
12 September, 2008