The Parthenon Sculptures In The British Museum
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- Create Date：2021-06-30 09:53:22
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Ian Jenkins
- ISBN：0714122610
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Summary
The Parthenon sculptures in the British Museum are unrivaled examples of classical Greek art， an inspiration to artists and writers since their creation in the fifth century bce。 A superb visual introduction to these wonders of antiquity， this book offers a photographic tour of the most famous of the surviving sculptures from ancient Greece， viewed within their cultural and art-historical context。
Ian Jenkins offers an account of the history of the Parthenon and its architectural refinements。 He introduces the sculptures as architecture--pediments， metopes， Ionic frieze--and provides an overview of their subject matter and possible meaning for the people of ancient Athens。 Accompanying photographs focus on the pediment sculptures that filled the triangular gables at each end of the temple; the metopes that crowned the architrave surmounting the outer columns; and the frieze that ran around the four sides of the building， inside the colonnade。 Comparative images， showing the sculptures in full and fine detail， bring out particular features of design and help to contrast Greek ideas with those of other cultures。
The book further reflects on how， over 2，500 years， the cultural identity of the Parthenon sculptures has changed。 In particular， Jenkins expands on the irony of our intimate knowledge and appreciation of the sculptures--a relationship far more intense than that experienced by their ancient， intended spectators--as they have been transformed from architectural ornaments into objects of art。
Ian Jenkins offers an account of the history of the Parthenon and its architectural refinements。 He introduces the sculptures as architecture--pediments， metopes， Ionic frieze--and provides an overview of their subject matter and possible meaning for the people of ancient Athens。 Accompanying photographs focus on the pediment sculptures that filled the triangular gables at each end of the temple; the metopes that crowned the architrave surmounting the outer columns; and the frieze that ran around the four sides of the building， inside the colonnade。 Comparative images， showing the sculptures in full and fine detail， bring out particular features of design and help to contrast Greek ideas with those of other cultures。
The book further reflects on how， over 2，500 years， the cultural identity of the Parthenon sculptures has changed。 In particular， Jenkins expands on the irony of our intimate knowledge and appreciation of the sculptures--a relationship far more intense than that experienced by their ancient， intended spectators--as they have been transformed from architectural ornaments into objects of art。
Reviews
Jeanne
，
This is both a great introduction to the Parthenon sculptures as well as a great read to those who have already fallen in love with the Parthenon。I can't lie， most of the historical information in this book is total review if you've read The Parthenon by Mary Beard like I have。 And to be quite honest， if the book consisted of the historical section alone I would have rated this lower， because I have previous knowledge of all the information given to me - only in this book it's more simplified。Th This is both a great introduction to the Parthenon sculptures as well as a great read to those who have already fallen in love with the Parthenon。I can't lie， most of the historical information in this book is total review if you've read The Parthenon by Mary Beard like I have。 And to be quite honest， if the book consisted of the historical section alone I would have rated this lower， because I have previous knowledge of all the information given to me - only in this book it's more simplified。That， in part， is why I would definitely recommend this as an introduction to the Parthenon sculptures。 My other reason being the visual aid provided throughout the book， making it much easier to follow along the rather-drawn out descriptions otherwise。Why would I recommend it to someone who already has previous knowledge on the subject though？ The absolutely beautiful photography found in the latter half of the book。 That alone caused me to re-think removing this book from my library， and in the end the photos won out。 For someone who will likely never have the opportunity to see the sculptures in person， getting extremely close shots of them was amazing。I have to constantly remind myself that these beautiful works of art were once mere stone， and that someone was able to bring forth such a life-like image from them。 Not to mention that such details have lasted over 2000 years。 So yes， I found the introduction/historical area to be a bit of a review for me but perfect for those just being introduced。 But it was the photography that blew me away in the end。 。。。more
Grady
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The Glory of Ancient Greece Though there remains considerable controversy surrounding the Parthenon sculptures， everyone concerned with the history of civilization should have the opportunity to see these incredible works of art。 Searching for definitions of the collection the body of work can be best described historically as the following: 'The Parthenon Sculptures or Elgin Marbles （friezes， pediment sculptures， statue and column parts， a caryatid etc） were shipped from the Parthenon and othe The Glory of Ancient Greece Though there remains considerable controversy surrounding the Parthenon sculptures， everyone concerned with the history of civilization should have the opportunity to see these incredible works of art。 Searching for definitions of the collection the body of work can be best described historically as the following: 'The Parthenon Sculptures or Elgin Marbles （friezes， pediment sculptures， statue and column parts， a caryatid etc） were shipped from the Parthenon and other spots in Athens to the UK by the 7th Lord Elgin， the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1799-1803。 The British government acquired the collection from Lord Elgin。 The Parthenon Sculptures have been on permanent public display in the British Museum since 1817。 So whether they belong in the British Museum housing （incomparably beautifully in the manner in which they are displayed for the public to view） or whether they belong to Greece and should be in fact returned in full is a political question。 This book compiled and written with knowledgeable commentary by Dr Ian Jenkins， Senior Curator， Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities， British Museum concentrates on excellent photographs of the sculptures themselves and lets the beauty of the work speak for itself。 The book is a generous size （10"X10"x1"） allowing the photographs to be very large， underlining detail and the play of light and shadow that likely made them seem alive in the actual Parthenon。 The sculptures include the free standing gods and goddesses， placed on majestic plinths for the museum exhibition， friezes that tell their story in an almost cinematic manner placed on the walls as they would have been in their original state， and isolated areas of the hall that hold a special atmosphere for the individual fragments - such as the head of a horse and the brilliant fragmented torso。 Honoring the works are visually reconstructed concepts of how the pediments were in the original form， the metopes， and the columns that made the original Parthenon one of the most eloquently creative edifices ever built。 No matter the political aspects of the correct home for these treasures， this book offers the reader a superb view of the beginnings of Western Civilization that still inspire writers， historians， and artists today。 Grady Harp 。。。more
Kay
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