Archeology Magazine

Roman sculpture gained momentum after the conquest of Greece circa 146 BC although many of the famous Roman Statues that we know today were actually inspired by the Greeks. In fact, many wealthy Romans commissioned copies of Greek Statues to decorate their villas and gardens. The Romans, however, did develop their own sense of style over time. Unlike Greek sculpture which portrayed people in their ideal form, Roman statues aimed for a more realistic view.

Consequently, the Romans most significant contribution to the art of sculpture was realistic portraiture, in which they recorded even the homeliest facial details. This style of realistic sculpture probably originated in the terra-cotta busts of ancestors which were displayed at the funerals of Roman aristocrats.

For the most part, Roman statues were used to decorate public and private buildings and much of this sculpture was used to honor the ruler, celebrate victories, or to promote the state and its governance. Starting with Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor, sculptors created idealized statues of the imperial family. Statue.com is proud to offer an extensive line of Roman busts in our Roman and Greek Bust Gallery.

It is also very interesting to note that while Roman statues survive in great numbers, few names of Roman sculptors were recorded. For the most part, Roman statues were typically created to serve the needs of their patrons rather than to express the artistic attitudes of their sculptors.

Although Roman statues can be found in many of our galleries, you will find the largest selection in our Classical Sculptures Gallery and Life-Size Sculptures Gallery.

Greek Art : The Geometric Period

In the 8th century BC, large-scale ceramic vessels were produced as grave markers. As these were originally decorated with just repeated angular patterns, the style became known as "Geometric" art. As time went by, small portions of the vessel might be filled with simple stick-figure people, often attending a funeral. The first image here is a funeray amphora, almost 6 feet tall, with a detail in the second image. The third image is a cross-section of the types of graves in which these vessels are found, showing their placement. The other vase is a little later than the first, with more detail, including a chariot procession.

Amphora

Detail

Cemetery

Chariots

But not all geometric vase-paintings are as monumental in size. Here is a small cup decorated with similar stick-figures, apparently engaged in battle, but whether this represented a real or a fictional battle is unknown. Within a relatively short time, however, the pictorial scenes increase in size and detail, and shortly after 700 BC we find the first recognizable scenes taken from myths.

Sea battle

Warriors

Greek Art : The Archaic Period

The Archaic period of Greek art spans about 200 years, from 700 to 500 BC. The two major types of art of this time, vase-painting and sculpture, show a real flourishing of realism and narrative iconography.

The primary technique of Archaic vase-painting (derived from the Geometric style) is known as the black-figure vase-painting technique. The first example below shows one ...