Ancient Art and its Historiography

This book treats the historiography of ancient Near Eastern and Classical art, examining the social, intellectual and institutional contexts that have shaped the way that the history of ancient art has been and continues to be written. It demonstrates how, from the Renaissance to the present, the study and interpretation of ancient art reflect contemporary ideas and practices. Among the subjects considered are the classical tradition in the post-antique West, the emergence of academic disciplines, the role of museums in the evaluation of ancient art, and issues of race, gender and cultural authority in the interpretation of ancient civilizations.

• Brings together essays treating a range of issues in the historiography of ancient art • Provides an overview of new directions in a field in which interest is growing • Demonstrates the close relationship between historiographic issues and art-historical praxis

1. Introduction A. A. Donohue; 2. From whore to Hierodules: the historiographic invention of Mesopotamian female sex professionals Julia Assante; 3. Humanissima ars: evaluation and devaluation in Pliny, Vasari, and Baden Jacob Isager; 4. The fate of plate and other precious materials: towards a historiography of ancient Greek minor arts Kenneth Lapatin; 5. ‘Der stil der nachahmer’: a brief historiography of stylistic retrospection Mark D. Fullerton; 6. The Peplos and the Dorian Question Mireille M. Lee; 7. Mrs Arthur Strong, Morelli, and the Troopers of Cortés Mary Beard; 8. Jargon, authenticity, and the nature of cultural history writing: Not Out of Africa and the Black Athena debate Joanne Monteagle Stearns.

\'… a readable and provocative reflection on the subject, of interest to any art historian.\' The Burlington Magazine

\'… this is a stimulating and thought-provoking collection which will be of interest both to scholars of ancient art and to those interested in the reception and uses of the ancient world from antiquity to the present day.\' Journal of Hellenic Studies