The Derveni Krater: Masterpiece of Classical Greek Metalwork (Ancient Art and Architecture in Context) [Hardcover]

Beryl Barr-Sharrar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0876619626 | ISBN-13: 978-0876619629 | Publication Date: January 30, 2008 | Edition: Volume I

This beautifully illustrated book represents the first full publication of the most elaborate metal vessel from the ancient world yet discovered. Found in an undisturbed Macedonian tomb of the late 4th century B.C., the volute krater is a tour de force of highly sophisticated methods of bronze working. An unusual program of iconography informs every area of the vessel. Snakes with copper and silver inlaid stripes frame the rising handles, wrapping their bodies around masks of underworld deities. On the shoulder sit four cast bronze figures: on one side a youthful Dionysos with an exhausted maenad, on the other a sleeping Silenos and a maenad handling a snake. In the major repoussé frieze on the body a bearded hunter is associated with Dionysian figures. What was the function of this extraordinary object? And what is the meaning of the intricate iconography? The krater is placed in its Macedonian archaeological context as an heirloom of the descendants of the man named in the Thessalian inscription on its rim, and in its art historical context as a highly elaborated, early 4th-century, version of a metal type known in Athens by about 470 B.C. Contains 47 color and 167 b/w illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

\u0022Beryl Barr-Sharrar's new monograph on the Derveni Krater breaks entirely new ground, elevating this masterpiece of later classical Greek art to a status alongside those of the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus and the Alexander Sarcophagus as the most important monuments of Greek art in the fourth century B.C. She shows that bronze vases, which have hitherto been included in the minor arts, now deserve their own place alongside architecture, sculpture and painted vases as high arts. In addition, the sophistication and care of the layout and the book production reaches new heights of what an outstanding publication of a work of Greek art can be.\u0022 David Mitten, Harvard University

"Spectacular! A book such as this appears on one's desk once in a decade: a definitive publication of a masterpiece of Greek art that is comprehensive, informative, persuasive, and beautifully illustrated." Andrew Stewart, UC Berkeley

\u0022This is a penetrating study of a sumptuous artifact, with superb photographic documentation in color; a very handsome publication.\u0022 R. R. R. Smith, Oxford University

\u0022In sum, The Derveni Krater offers a significant contribution to the study of Classical Greek art. Those interested in bronze and metalwork production will find a thorough discussion of the history of Greek metal vessels and a new typology of the bronze volute krater type. In her analysis of metalworking in Classical Greece, the author collects preserved handles and attachments, gathering this diverse--and understudied--material in one location. The range of media analyzed in this study reminds us of the complete integration of figural themes and motifs in both the so-called major and minor arts.\u0022 Alexis Castor, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2009.02.44

About the Author

Beryl Barr-Sharrar is Adjunct Professor of Fine Arts at the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU. She is the author of numerous publications on Classical and Hellenistic art.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 17 and up
  
• Hardcover: 281 pages
• Publisher: American School of Classical Studies at Athens; Volume I edition (January 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876619626
• ISBN-13: 978-0876619629
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much-needed scholarly volume - a gem of a book, January 24, 2009

By 

P. Hunt (San Francisco) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Derveni Krater: Masterpiece of Classical Greek Metalwork (Ancient Art and Architecture in Context) (Hardcover)

Here is the much-needed scholarly volume on a surviving ancient Greek art treasure - the Derveni Krater - an object studied in every credible collegiate and university course on Greek art. This lavish tome is written by Barr-Sharrar, who has already comprehensively studied the Derveni Krater in the peer-reviewed literature, now accessible to all readers. Rare as it is to find one authoritative volume on a single piece of ancient Greek art, it is even more unusual to find so much useful analysis and detail devoted to a special kind of bronze vessel and the full spectrum of Dionysian themes in art. With applicable references from bronzes to sculpture, vase painting and other ancient media, Barr-Sharrar's exquisite book combines the observant eye of the artist with the penetrating mind of the sleuth in examining and contextualizing precursors and the array of corresponding types. Careful in her reconstruction of iconography and provenance as well as her hypotheses of function and meaning for the singular Derveni Krater, Barr-Sharrar has produced a gem for students of Greek art, myth, religion and ancient technology. This book is a great resource for art historians and archaeologists from an author and publisher with the highest critical standards.