Fourth-century Greek Sculpture

Synopsis

This volume examines Greek sculpture and architecture in the fourth century, a period of transition from the classical Athenian style to an array of styles found simultaneously in the Hellenistic diaspora. Though a period rich in important monuments, the fourth century has been particularly challenging and vexing to scholars. The text discusses figural sculpture, votive and document reliefs, funerary art, and architectural sculpture from Greece proper to the non-Greek territories of Lykia and Karia in the Anatolian peninsula. It examines major monuments and categories of monuments, describes each work carefully, puts into perpective problems surrounding interpretation and dating of the sculptures, and reviews and evaluates previous scholarship on the subject. Taking a sceptical stance, the book revisits scholarly attempts to attribute sculptural work to the famous masters of the fourth century: Praxiteles, Skopas and Lysippos. It undertakes a factual analysis of the extant evidence for and against various attributions, bolstered by a critical reading of ancient literary sources.