One of the most fascinating topics in the study of ancient art concerns artistic practices and models and the means of transmission of iconographic designs and decorative compositions. This study presents some examples that suggest the existence of pattern books Ancient Greece.
One of the most fascinating topics in the study of ancient art concerns artistic practices and models and the means of transmission of iconographic designs and decorative compositions. This phenomenon, although well known, has not drawn much attention of scholars of the ancient art. Apart from copies of originals, the practice dates back to the first civilizations and may be even older. The media used could be painted vignettes on papyri, paint on leather, or sketches painted on ostraca, used as pattern books. This issue is practically unheard of regarding ancient Greece, although a few media have been found which may have facilitated the transmission of iconographic designs and decorative compositions. In this study we present some examples that suggest the existence of pattern books in the Greek world. If the media used in the Greek world are insofar unknown, the same cannot be said of the Roman world. Written sources mention the existence of manuals in the form of papyrus scrolls (stemmata, imagines) which served as models as well as inspiration for the artists.
Contents
Foreword by Delfim Leão: Maria Helena da Rocha-Pereira: the Suitable Kairos Back Again; The Transmission of Iconographic Designs and Decorative Compositions: ; 1. Prolegomena; 2. The Transmission of Iconographic Designs and Decorative Compositions in the Greek World; 3. Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit et artes intulit agresti Latio; 4. Case Studies; Bibliography
About the Author
Rui Manuel Lopes de Sousa Morais was born in Porto in 1969 and has a degree in history from the University of Coimbra, MA in Urban Archaeology, PhD in archaeology, technology and materials, both from the University of Minho, Braga. He was a professor at Minho University until 2013 and is currently an Assistant Professor with Aggregation at the Faculty of Arts, Oporto University. Rui has dedicated special attention to the study of trade in antiquity, with numerous published works, individually or with other national and foreign authors. He is also a researcher in the Classical and Humanistic Centre at Coimbra University (CECH) where he has developed his interest in classical art with several books published. He is a consultant of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation for the classical antiquities, member of the Scientific Committee of the IBERIA GRAEGA Project, and the coordinator of the monographic series Classica Instrumenta from Coimbra University.