Pre-Historic Sculptures Quiz

Pre-Historic Sculptures

• Sculpture materials vary by region with natural elements often mistaken for art.
• Carvings may hold mythological or religious meanings.

Venus of Willendorf

• Date: 28,000 - 25,000 B.C.E.
• Carved from limestone, depicting exaggerated features symbolizing fertility.

Venus of Brassempouy

• Age: approximately 25,000 years.
• Fragmentary ivory figurine showcasing detailed human facial features and hairstyle, housed at Musée d'Archéologie Nationale.

Egyptian Era Sculptures

• Sculptures employed symbolic elements like hieroglyphics and gestures, extensively used in tombs.
• Common materials included wood, ivory, and stone.

Characteristics of Egyptian Sculptures

• Deities represented with animal heads and human bodies.
• Relief compositions often aligned horizontally to depict events.
• Scale hierarchy: gods larger than humans, kings larger than subjects, and the deceased larger than the living.
• Spaces filled with figures or hieroglyphics enhancing visual storytelling.

Queen Nefertiti

• Era: 18th Dynasty, 1375-1357 B.C.
• Realistic portrayal with distinctive features, made from painted limestone.

The Pharaoh Menkaure and his Queen

• Timeframe: 4th Dynasty, 2548-2530 B.C.E.
• Stone sculpture known for its rigid postures reflecting power and simplicity of emotion.

Western Classical Art Traditions

Greek Sculptures

• Early Greek pieces exhibited rigidity, with later works showing advanced anatomical understanding.
• Hellenistic style emphasized dynamic movement and elaborate figure arrangements.

Myron: The Discobulus

• Date: 450 B.C.
• Captures intense tension and impending action, representing classical ideals of athleticism.

Roman Sculptures

• Roman works primarily in monumental terra-cotta; reliefs on triumphal columns displayed narrative scenes.

The Portonacio Sarcophagus

• Date: 180-190 B.C.E.
• Elaborate sarcophagus depicting battles between Romans and Germans, used for the burial of a Roman General.

Monumental Terra-Cotta Sarcophagus

• Date: c. 520 B.C.E., housed in Museo Nazionale de Villa Giulia, Rome.
• Features a reclining husband and wife, conveying intimacy in funerary art.

Byzantine Sculptures

• Dominated by religious themes and motifs from nature, often symbolically represented through animals.
• Acrostic signs provided theological significance.

The Barberini Diptych

• Notable early example of Byzantine ivory craftsmanship.

Romanesque Sculptures

• Included reliquaries, altar frontals, and crucifixes; designed for royal and aristocratic patrons.
• Lightweight devotional images were crafted to be mobile and utilized in religious processions.