Large-Scale Bronzes from Antiquity

Advancing the knowledge and dissemination of information about historic and contemporary treatments, technological and art historical study, and modes of transporting and displaying large-scale ancient bronzes.

About Large-Scale Ancient Bronzes

Ancient Greeks cast large-scale bronze statuary as early as the Archaic period, but the later Hellenistic era saw an explosion of manufacture of large, life-like bronze statues. Unfortunately, centuries later the majority of these large-scale bronzes were melted down and repurposed for various other objects. Many of the surviving bronzes were paradoxically preserved due to natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, or were lost at sea especially during shipments between Greece and Rome from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE, and subsequently discovered by fishermen or divers.

Today, due to the rarity of this “missing majority,” only 100 to 200 bronze statues remain. There is much to be learned about their manufacture, movement, material science, historical treatments (previous restorations), and other key information from a relatively small sample pool.

Large-Scale Bronzes in the Getty Collection

The Getty collection of antiquities includes several important large-scale bronze works and fragments. Some notable examples are the Herm of Dionysos, Winged Lion, and Infant Bacchus. Perhaps the most well-known is The Victorious Youth (also referred to as the Getty Bronze). J. Paul Getty became aware of this artwork in 1972, less than a decade after it was discovered in the Adriatic Sea. Due to several breakdowns in negotiations, the piece did not join the Getty collection until 1977, the year after Mr. Getty’s death.

Study

Evidenced by the number of surviving empty pedestals, we know that large-scale ancient bronzes were common in antiquity. They were great technological and artistic achievements, displaying complex material mastery and impressive dynamism, as well as emotional intensity. Contemporary study allows us to uncover elements of archaeometric art history and how these objects informed and were informed by other cultures across space and time.

Treatment

In-depth study and technical analysis allow us to better differentiate ancient materials from more recent treatments, and subsequently give us a better understanding of methods of historic treatments more broadly. Some historic treatments require contemporary “corrections” and may help inform a path for new, ameliorated methods. Discoveries made during the conservation process can also help reveal information about manufacture and historical context. The opportunity to conserve these works is uncommon.

Display

One of the most significant displays of large-scale bronzes was the exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World. Because of their rarity, Hellenistic bronze sculptures are most often displayed in museums as isolated masterpieces. From 2015–2016, this unprecedented exhibition, organized by the Getty Museum, the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington with the participation of the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana, traveled from Florence to Los Angeles, to Washington, DC, bringing together more than 50 of the most exquisite surviving large-scale bronzes of the period, including some that had never previously been on display. This exhibition was possible in part due to advancements in transporting and mounting such rare and sizable objects.

Jens Daehner, Associate Curator, Antiquities
Susanne Gänsicke, Senior Conservator/Head of Antiquities Conservation
Kenneth Lapatin, Curator, Antiquities
Erik Risser, Conservator, Antiquities Conservation