Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens
Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens is the title of a printed catalog of all the sculptures in the permanent exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens .
Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens , the English title is a first in modern Greek ( Ta glypta. Ethniko Archeologiko Mousio, Katalogos Τα γλυπτά. Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο, κατάλογος, Sculptures. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Catalog ') wrote and published the complete catalog of all the sculptures in the permanent exhibition of the National Archaeological Museum in Athens , the world's most important collection of its kind. It was written on the initiative of the publishers Moses and Rachel Kapon by the director of the museum, Nikolaos Kaltsas , who is considered a specialist in the field of ancient Greek sculpture. The catalog comprises a total of 800 numbers, which are described on 376 pages. Most of the exhibits are shown in 670 black and white and 28 color images. A second edition of the Greek original was printed entirely in color. Rachel Misdrachi-Kapon was responsible for the design of the catalog, and Moses Kapon was the artistic director. The translation into English is by David Hardy. The original of the catalog was published in 2002 by Kapon Editions in Athens, the English translation planned for November 2002 in May 2003 by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles .
After a foreword by the publisher, the large-format hardcover catalog is preceded by a bibliography of the cited literature, which, in addition to Greek and English titles, mainly includes German-language works. This is followed by an introduction by the author, in which he introduces the individual periods of ancient art in Greece Archaic , Classical , Hellenistic and Roman times and adds a glossary at the end. The following part of the catalog is also divided into these four main parts, whereby the classical period has been subdivided again and a late classical period has been inserted as a further sub-item. In addition, thematic sub-items on votive and grave reliefs were added in the section on the classical period, and sub-items on reliefs with decrees and sculptures from the 4th century BC were added to these two items in the late classical area . The book is concluded with an index in which the inventory numbers of the collection, catalog numbers from the book and the pages on which the respective sculpture is described are synchronized, and a page with information on the image sources.
The catalog section presents all items in a uniform form. First, the catalog number and the name of the statue are given, followed by the museum inventory number and information about the material, the location and the dimensions. After this technical information comes a descriptive text in which, in addition to the actual description, information about additions or missing parts is given. A chronological classification of the work usually takes place at the end of the text. Inscriptions are also reproduced. Only in the longer decrees is the ancient Greek text omitted and reference is made to the Inscriptiones Graecae . The description is completed by a rather extensive bibliography. With the exception of particularly outstanding items, roughly the same attention is paid to all finds; in view of the limited space, the descriptions are brief and rarely exceed 20 lines, with each printed page divided into three columns. The problem is that archaic and archaic works as well as classical sculptures and their Roman copies are brought together, which is chronologically problematic. But the catalog follows the list of works in the museum. However, due to its weight, it is hardly suitable for use in museums, but rather as a reference work in the library.
The catalog fills a gap, since a catalog of this format had not been published since a catalog by Ioannis N. Svoronos from 1903 and the Athens National Museum published between 1908 and 1937 . All of the following catalogs could no longer achieve this level of information despite better illustration and were also mostly very selective. Kaltsa's catalog was able to close this gap. The author's euphoric language, which was felt to be out of date, aroused criticism.
Bibliographical information
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Nikolaos Kaltsas : Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens , The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 2002 ISBN 0-89236-686-9 Review of Brunilde Sismondo Ridgway in the Bryn Mawr Classical Review (English)
- Original edition: Νικόλαος Καλτσάς: Τα γλυπτά. Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο, κατάλογος , Athens, Kapon 2001, ISBN 960-7037-09-X