The Setting of Greek Sculpture

T WO articles by C. C. Vermeule ' have recently discussed the various ways inwhich the Romans displayed the many copies of Greek works which today fill our museums.Our knowledge of statuary arrangements, already enlightened by the excavation of Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli and of entire sites such as Pompeii and Herculaneum, constantly increases as more methodical and accurate research is carried out in many Asia Minor centers rich in sculpture, as for instance Aphrodisias and Side.But if we are reasonably well informed on Roman practices, the same cannot be said for Greek times despite the great wealth of ancient literary allusions to statuary.Greek originals are seldom found, and when they are, they are mostly out of context.Whatever evidence is available is often hidden in excavation reports with no specific reference to sculptural setting, and ancient sources are rarely detailed enough to allow safe speculation on location and arrangement.The problem becomes even more complex when Greek works are known only through later replicas of various provenience, which in some cases may even involve transposition from one medium to another or conversion into a different form of artistic expression (such as, for instance, a relief reproducing a composition originally in the round, or a sculptural group made after a famous painting).The present notes do not attempt to explore the subject with thoroughness but propose to set forth some suggestions as to the arrangements of Greek statuary in antiquity, emphasizing the difference in approach between the Classical and the Hellenistic periods.Much of what follows has already been stated in some form by others but is here reviewed from the specific point of view of sculptural setting; some theories which have at times been rejected will be reproposed, not because the issues have now been settled with greater certainty, but in the hope of promoting further study of this interesting topic.I am mainly concerned with the outdoor setting of free-standing sculpture.Many statues, cult images or otherwise, were placed within buildings, but their loca-* Some of the ideas in this paper were prompted by a visit to North African and Asia Minor sites during the Summer of 1969.I am most grateful to the National Endowment for the Humanities for their Summer Stipend, and to the American Philosophical Society for their grant from the Johnson Fund, which financed my travels.I have purposely refrained from illustrating my text in

Art · Sculpture · Visual arts · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Classical Antiquity Studies · Historical and Architectural Studies

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