The Cesnola collection of Cypriot art : stone sculpture

During the last few decades, Cypriot art and archaeology have gained a prominent place in the study of Mediterranean culture. The Cesnola Collection, which was acquired between 1874 and 1876 by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, is the most important of its kind in the world, and includes 635 stone sculptures, each of which is meticulously catalogued in this lavishly illustrated publication. This is the first catalogue of the entire collection, with numerous previously unpublished works. Exceptional examples of Cypriot stone sculpture, including votive figures of men, women, children, and animals, sculptures of gods and mythological figures, and elaborate funerary monuments, are represented and described. Several masterworks are of exceptional quality and detail that are unique in the world. This comprehensive study and publication represents a significant contribution to the study and understanding of Cypriot art and archaeology. [This volume is available as a print-on-demand edition.] Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press Contents 5 Director’s Foreword 8 Foreword 10 Acknowledgments 11 Introduction 14 Building the Collection of Sculpture 14 Sculptures Discovered before 1870 14 The Sculptures and the Sanctuary/Sanctuaries of Golgoi-Ayios Photios 15 The Nature of the Offerings and the Cult of the Sanctuary of Golgoi-Ayios Photios 18 Other Findspots 20 The Cesnola Sculptures in the Metropolitan Museum of Art 21 From Their Arrival at the Museum to the Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cypr 21 The Place of the Cesnola Collection in the Study of Cypriot Sculpture 23 Chronology of Cypriot Sculptures 24 Catalogue 28 Chapter 1. Male Votaries 29 Male Votaries with Conical Helmets (Cat. 1-18) 31 Male Heads with Other Types of Helmets (Cat. 19-24) 42 Male Votaries with “Cypriot Shorts,” Heads with a Rosette Diadem (Cat. 25-39) 48 Male Votaries in Egyptianizing Dress or Heads with a Plain Headdress (Cat. 40-61) 59 Young Votaries in the Ionian Tradition (Draped Kouroi) (Cat. 62-75) 76 Bearded Male Votaries with a Wreath of Leaves or a Diadem (Cat. 76-92) 85 Beardless Male Votaries with a Wreath of Leaves, Diadem, or Fillet (Cat. 93-137) 100 Male Votaries with Bare Heads (Cat. 138-143) 129 Statues and Statuettes of Boys (Cat. 144-168) 133 Various Votive Male Figures, or Fragments (Cat. 169-186) 149 Chapter 2. Female Votaries 161 Chapter 3. Special Series of Votive Figures 177 Statuettes of Women Nursing (Kourotrophoi) (Cat. 213-221) 177 Musicians, Male and Female (Cat. 222-234) 182 Aulos (Double Flute) Players 182 Tambourine Player 187 Lyre Players 187 Horses, Horsemen, Chariots (Cat. 235-241) 189 Banqueters (Cat. 242-246) 194 Chapter 4. Masked Votaries 197 Chapter 5. “Temple Boys” and “Temple Girls” 202 Temple Boys (Cat. 252-272) 202 Temple Girls (Cat. 273-274) 213 Chapter 6. Varia 214 Other Types of Votive Human Figures (Cat. 275-279) 214 Fragmentary Offerings or Other Objects from Votive Statues or Statuettes (Cat. 280-299) 218 Chapter 7. Gods and Mythological Figures 227 Herakles (Cat. 300-320) 227 “Zeus Ammon” (Cat. 321-325) 241 Apollo (Cat. 326-331) 243 Pan (Cat. 332-337) 248 Zeus (Cat. 338-339) 251 Various Male Mythological Figures (Cat. 340-356) 253 The Great Goddess (Aphrodite) (Cat. 357-358) 264 Artemis (Cat. 359-363) 266 Other Goddess (Cat. 364) 269 Chapter 8. Votive Animals, Anatomical Reliefs, and Various Offerings 271 Chapter 9. Various Offerings 279 Incense Burners (Cat. 379-386) 279 Lamps (Cat. 387-392) 283 Anatomical Ex-votos (Cat. 393-408) 285 Other Offerings (Cat. 409-431) 293 Chapter 10. Architectural Sculpture 307 Chapter 11. Sculptured Reliefs on Votive Monuments 311 Chapter 12. Funerary Monuments 329 Funerary Stelai without Human Figures (Except Hathor Heads) (Cat. 457-476) 329 Funerary Stelai with Human Figures (Cat. 477-489) 343 Limestone Sarcophagi (Cat. 490-494) 354 Marble Sarcophagi (Cat. 495-496) 374 Roman Funerary Busts (Cat. 497-501) 377 Decorated Cippi and Other Funerary Monuments (Cat. 502-508) 380 Chapter 13. Other Stone Artifacts 385 Vases in “Alabaster”: Gypsum or Calcite (Cat. 509-562) 385 Vases in Other Materials (Cat. 563-577) 400 Limestone (or Chalk) 400 Other Stones 401 Beads, Pendants, Amulets (Cat. 578-582) 403 Mace Heads (?) (Cat. 583-590) 405 Spindle Whorls (Cat. 591-598) 406 Mortars and Pestles (Cat. 599-625) 408 Whetstones or Polishers (Cat. 626-631) 414 Other Objects (Cat. 632-635) 415 Maps of Cyprus 417 Concordance 418 Bibliography 422 The Cesnola Collection of antiquities from Cyprus was one of the earliest acquisitions by The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 1872 – two years after its founding – 275 crates of objects were purchased and brought to the Museum by Luigi Palma di Cesnola, who soon became its first director. This collection, with over 6,000 works, documents the art of Cyprus from ca. 3000 B.C. through ca. A.D. 300 in all major media – terracottas, bronzes, gems, glass, silver and gold plate, and jewelry. The distinction of the collection, however, lies in the stone sculptures that are unequalled in any other institution and that are beautifully illustrated and cataloged in this unique publication. The 635 large-scale stone sarcophagi, funerary monuments, and votive sculptures, primarily of the sixth through fourth centuries B.C., testify to the wealth and power of the individuals that commissioned them. The exceptional variety of types reflects the succession of rulers that dominated the island and exploited its resources, and shows influences of the cultural exchanges with other great early civilizations across the Mediterranean Antoine Hermary And Joan R. Mertens ; Edited By Philomena Mariani ; Translations From The French By Anne Jourlait. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 421-434).