Displaying the ideals of Antiquity: the petrified gaze

In Part 1, Siapkas and Sjögren give a succinct introduction outlining the purpose of their study. The authors provide a brief overview of the classical disciplines of archaeology (Chapter 1) and art history (Chapter 2) in Part II. They follow the parallel development of the fields from the early appreciation of masterpieces for aesthetic reasons, through positivism of the 19th century and attempts at a scientific classification of archaeological objects, to the structuralist and post-structuralist approaches of both the 20th and 21st centuries. In Chapter 3, the authors survey the history of ancient sculpture studies, concentrating on Winckelmann`s role, the Kopienkritik, and Meisterforschung development as well as critiques towards the traditional methods. Both chapter 3 and chapter 4 focuses more on Greek studies than on Roman sculpture studies. In chapter 4, the authors consider current work being done in the field by analyzing the Parthenon sculptures’ studies and some books based on dissertations. Chapter 5 begins with an outline of the museums` history from the 18th century, commencing with the Louvre`s opening. Siapkas and Sjögren discuss the role associated with private collecting in the development of the museum. The book also traces the scientific approach to the display and classification of objects in the 19th and 20th centuries, proceeded by a shift to minimalist installations after World War I that followed chronological narratives but now historic restorations and eschewed plaster casts as lacking validity (Siapkas & Sjögren, 2013).

The authors devoted Chapter 6 to include a display of techniques that emphasized individual sculptures, putting stress on their aesthetic qualities through factors such as galleries that contain isolated placements. Siapkas and Sjögren link this performance to traditional methods in classical archaeology and art history. The authors also discuss the central role of popular culture in connection to the creation and reinforcement of masterpiece works statuses such as the Venus de Milo and the Nike of Samothrace in a lengthy discussion of these statues` modern reproductions. Chapter 7 adds to the discussion by concentrating on art historical narratives that have been identified in museums: a focus on stylistic and chronological development, an emphasis on the sculpture of Classical Greek, and specific attention to celebrated sculptors of the period. The authors also describe the troubles that are inherent in the practice of displaying Roman sculptures that stand in for their Greek prototypes (Siapkas & Sjögren, 2013).

In chapter 8, Siapkas and Sjögren address the presentation of the economic, socio-historical, and architectural contexts of the works. The researchers favor widespread architectural reconstructions when describing the sculptures’ ancient settings—arguing, for example, that the Villa of the Papyri`s casts of statues at the Getty Villa are better contextualized than the original sculptures located in the Museo Archeologico. The authors can find more emphasis on historical and social contexts in Roman displays than the monuments of Greece. The chapter concludes when they note efforts presented by some museums to display the production methods of sculptures, including polychromy. In Part IV, which is the conclusion, the authors position their work about the studies of the museum.

Discussion

The book investigates the display and study of ancient sculpture from the perspective of art historical, archaeological, and museum studies. The authors analyze how the tradition of historical art can institute and preserve a view of antiquity that is idealized in museum exhibitions and classical archaeology. Siapkas and Sjögren investigate how the principles are kept alive—an approach that is usually neglected in ancient reception studies. Apart from offering an international scope, the book illustrates how foundations of academic conceptual influence museum exhibitions. The volume provides a clear discussion of contemporary museum exhibitions of ancient sculpture as it also clarifies how old discourses affect the exhibitions of museums and ancient sculptures` conceptualizations. In their quest to demonstrate how ancient sculptures are mediated across the West and Europe, the authors analyze around 100 museums located in different parts of the world. The authors` opinion, which is also a significant contribution presented by this book is their observation that Greek displays and Roman sculptures have common features in different museums across national boundaries.

Siapkas and Sjögren depict themselves as having visited the museums as general museum enthusiasts and not as trained archaeologists. Hence, they give a balanced assessment of the evidence provided as a result of taking on different messages mediated through the museum`s exhibitions. The authors maintained an open mind as they set out to discover the history of sculpture studies and analyze how the present-day displays of both Greek and Roman sculptures reflect this scholarship.

Topics that touch on the display and study of ancient sculpture have been addressed by different scholars that delve on museum studies, but there is no evidence of other research apart from this, that specifically deals with Greek and Roman collections (Højte, 2006; Strong, 2015). Such an approach can lead to more research on how museums convey the state of research to the public through collection displays that are permanent, and what visitors can take away from galleries depicting the Greece and Roman period.

It is evident that Siapkas and Sjögren deserve credit for efficiently undertaking such issues about the staging of Greek sculptures and Roman artifacts. However, their work could have more impact if they had gone more deeply into this field and critique the museums throughout their analysis. What’s more, some chapters are of limited value. As a state-of-the-field assessment of historical factors, it should have also included books that were published after 2005, and the literature being reviewed should have incorporated conference proceedings and journal articles.

All in all, the book is well written as it presents a significant contribution to the theoretical and methodological literature on ancient art that highlights the risks associated with applying modernizing art perceptions while also underlining the need for contextual approaches to the study of historical artifacts. The ideas of the authors are also well explained and systematically arranged in chapters that facilitate easy comprehension.

Since the book discusses the display and analysis of ancient sculpture from the perspective of art historical, archaeological, and museum studies, it contained more proofs than arguments. The evidence given was presented after a thorough observation of about 100 museums all over the world, coupled with an analysis of relevant literature. The evidence was compelling, but readers could also use evidence from more recent research.

Final Assessment

This book is useful to a clique of persons as the unrelenting application of specialized theoretical terminology limits the audience. The book will apparently be impenetrable to most non-specialists and many undergraduates. On the other hand, advanced students and scholars interested in theory and methods of archaeology and ancient art will benefit from its content and find its analysis interesting. The research will be a useful enhancement in graduate seminars that explore Greek and Roman sculptures. Museum curators will also benefit from the book as they work on formulating ancient sculptures displays. Lastly, graduate students studying museum programmes will also find the research useful as they continue their quest for knowledge of Greek and Roman artifacts.

Consequently, I cannot hesitate to buy it and recommend to others as it breaks new ground by including Greek and Roman museum exhibits as essential elements in ancient sculpture historiography. Besides, the entire piece of work remains a wide-ranging and fascinating consideration of the interplay between museum displays and published scholarship in ancient sculpture, a relevant field that calls for increased research.

Application

I think this book would provide useful information in a lecture on Ancient Science. The book presents useful analysis of ancient artifacts and museums that can help in the survey and understanding of the social role of ancient scientists, their work, the role of science in popular culture and ancient education, and the origin of modern science.

References

Højte, J. M. (2006). Roman imperial statue bases: From Augustus to Commodus. Denmark: Aarhus University Press.

Siapkas, J., & Sjögren, L. (2013). Displaying the ideals of Antiquity: the petrified gaze (Vol. 15). New York, NY: Routledge.

Strong, E. (2015). Roman Sculpture. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.