Artists and Signatures in Ancient Greece

244 Pages·2015·15.909 MB·English

by  Jeffrey M. Hurwit

ARTISTS AND SIGNATURES IN ANCIENT GREECE
The Greeks inscribed their works of art and craft with labels identifying
mythological or historical figures, bits of poetry, and claims of ownership.
Butnotypeofinscriptionismorehotlydebatedormoreintriguingthanthe
artist’ssignature,whichraisesquestionsconcerningtheroleandstatusofthe
artistandtheworkofartorcraftitself.Inthisbook,JeffreyM.Hurwitsur-
veysthephenomenonofartists’signaturesacrossthemanygenresofGreek
artfromtheeighthtothefirstcenturyBCE.Althoughthegreatmajorityof
extant works lack signatures, the Greek artist nonetheless signed his prod-
uctsfarmoreoftenthananyotherartistofantiquity.Examiningsignatures
on gems, coins, mosaics, wall-paintings, metalwork, vases, and sculptures,
HurwitarguesthatsignatureshelpusassessthepositionoftheGreekartist
withinhissocietyaswellashisconceptionofhisownskillandoriginality.
JeffreyM.HurwitisPhilipH.KnightProfessorofArtHistoryandClassics
at the University of Oregon, where he has taught since 1980. He is the
author of The Acropolis in the Age of Pericles (Cambridge University Press,
2004), The Athenian Acropolis: History, Mythology, and Archaeology from the
NeolithicEratothePresent(CambridgeUniversityPress,1999),andTheArt
andCultureofEarlyGreece,1100–480BC(1985),aswellasmanyarticleson
ancient Greek art. He has taught in Siena, Italy, and Athens, Greece, and
haslecturedwidelyacrosstheUnitedStatesandEurope.HewasMarthaS.
JoukowskyLecturerfortheArchaeologicalInstituteofAmericain2000–01
andaGuggenheimFellowin1987–88.

ARTISTS AND
SIGNATURES IN
ANCIENT GREECE
JEFFREY M. HURWIT
UniversityofOregon
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Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-10571-3
1.Artists–Greece–Socialconditions. 2.Artists–Greece–Autographs. I.Title.
n5633.h87 2015
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations page ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
A Note on Abbreviations xix
A Note on Translations and Transliterations xxi
PART ONE: ON THE STATUS, ORIGINALITY, AND
DIFFERENCE OF THE GREEK ARTIST
1 EUTHYKARTIDES’TOES:SIGNATURESAND
THESTATUSOFTHEGREEKARTIST 3
2 GREEK“EXCEPTIONALISM”INTHEANCIENTWORLD 11
PART TWO: WHO SIGNED WHAT, WHERE, HOW?
3 GEMS 33
4 COINS 39
5 ARCHITECTURE 46
6 WALL-ANDPANEL-PAINTING 56
7 MOSAICS 64
8 VASES 71
9 METALWORK 97
10 SCULPTURE 101
PART THREE: SPECULATIONS
11 WHY? 147
vii
viii CONTENTS
Glossary 157
Appendix: Ancient Literary Sources on Greek and Roman Art 161
Notes 163
Works Cited 193
Index of Artists and Signatures 203
General Index 207