Greek sculpture : the archaic period

"Authoritative and brilliantly illustrated. . . . The book recommends itself not only for its synthesis of existing knowledge, but also for its original ideas." -- The Daily Telegraph"

For most people there is no more satisfying expression of Greek art than its sculpture. It was the first, the only ancient art to break free from conceptual conventions for representing men and animals, and to explore consciously how art might imitate or even improve upon it. The first stages of this discovery, from the semi-abstract beginnings in the eighth century BC to the more representational art of the early fifth century, are explored and illustrated in this handbook. This handbook chronicles the development of Classical Greek sculpture and includes not only illustrations of the masterpieces of architectural sculptural from the temple of Zeus at Olympia and the Parthenon, but also many original works of bronze sculpture from that period, some of which have only recently been discovered.