Greek Funerary Sculpture: Catalogue of the Collections at the Getty Villa

Janet Burnett Grossman

Jan 2002 · Getty Publications

About this ebook

It is a sad fact that most of the
sculpture created in ancient Greece has vanished. Of that which has survived, a
majority is funerary sculpture. These highly visible markers commemorating the
dead were traditionally placed along roads near the entrances to cities, where
they could be seen by all who entered and left the city. Although the monuments
vary greatly in style, quality, and elaboration, they reach across the
millennia bespeaking the common human sentiments at the loss of a loved one.

 

This illustrated catalogue
presents fifty-nine Greek funerary monuments in the Antiquities collection of
the Getty Museum. Spanning the Classical and Hellenistic periods, the
sculptures typically show the deceased either alone or surrounded by family.
Ranging from depictions of seated mothers and modest maidens to nude boys and
armed warriors, this collection offers new insight into Greek art and society
that will undoubtedly pique the interest of both scholars and the general
public.

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