STYPPAX
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STYPPAX |
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An Academic Resource for the Study of Cypriote Sculpture
Pliny N.H. 34.81:
Styppax
the Cypriote is famed for one statue, the
splanchnoptes; the subject of this statue was a slave of the Olympian Pericles roasting entrails and kindling a fire with the breath from his puffed-out
cheeks.
Translation from J. Pollitt,
The Art of Ancient Greece: Sources and Documents (Cambridge, 1990).
Table of ContentsI. BibliographyIV. Images and Links of Interest
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I. Bibliography
Before browsing through the bibliography, you may want to read this quick note.
General Studies
(Chronological and Stylistic Analyses)
Museum Catalogues and Special Collections
Early Travelers, Antiquarians and Archaeologists
Site Reports and Material from Excavations
Typological Studies (including Context and Function)
Provenience Studies and Cypriote Sculpture Found Abroad
Divine Iconography: Gods, Goddesses, and other Cult Images
(inc. Master of the Lions and Smiting God)
Zeus
Ammon/Baal Hammon
Bes and other Egyptian Deities
Pan
Aphrodite and the Principal Female Deity or "Great
Goddess"
Artemis
Temple
Boys and other Attendants
Kourotrophoi
Miscellaneous
Special Topics
The Chatsworth Apollo
Book Reviews
The Semitic Museum: Cesnola On-line Bibliography
Ancient Cyprus by A. C. Brown and H. Catling (Oxford, 1986)
Now out-of-print, the text of this important handbook to the
Cypriote collections of the Ashmolean is now available on the museum's web site.
Includes a useful survey of Cypriote material culture.
The PASP Database for the
Use of Scripts on Cyprus
Searchable online version of The PASP Database
for the Use of Scripts on Cyprus. This website, which is maintained by the
Program in Aegean Scripts and Prehistory at the University of Texas, contains the complete corpus
of inscriptions offered in the print version, The PASP Database for the Use
of Scripts on Cyprus compiled by Nicolle Hirschfeld (Salamanca, 1996). Of
particular interest are the many inscriptions found on limestone sculptures,
altars, and stelae. Search Hints:
limestone or statue under the
search field 'material/object' or simply search by site (e.g., Golgoi, Idalion,
Voni). Extremely valuable for tracking inscriptions to divinities in Cypriote
sanctuaries; type the name of the divinity (Apollo, Artemis, etc.) under the
search field 'Nature'.
'Sculpture
in Roman Cyprus' (published in Apollo
July 2003 by J. Fejfer)
An article available on-line which appeared in Apollo (The
International Magazine of the Arts) July 2003. Fejfer teaches Roman archaeology
at the University of Copenhagen and is co-editor of Ancient Akamas: 1.
Settlement and Environment (Aarhus, 1995). Unfortunately, the on-line
article linked above does not contain the illustrations; access to the full-text
article in Apollo with illustrations is available via registration on the
magazine's www site.
Bulletin de correspondance
hellénique
Courtesy of the French School in Athens (École Française d'Athènes)
A digital archive of the French School publications, including the Bulletin de correspondance
hellénique (1877-2000!) plus all of the BCH supplements. For the study of Cypriote sculpture, one now has access to the extremely
important reports on archaeological research and discoveries in Cyprus (Chronique des Fouilles et
découvertes archéologiques à Chypre) published annually in the BCH. On the homepage, click CEFAEL on
the left menu. From here you may 'Browse' all of the archived publications and
series or 'Search'
for titles and authors. Also available:
A. Hermary, Amathonte V: Les figurines en terre cuite archaïques et
classiques. Les sculptures en pierre (2000).
A. Hermary, Amathonte
II: Testimonia 2: Les sculptures découvertes avant 1975 (1981).
Other volumes in the Études Chypriotes series (including more in the
Amathonte series)
*n.b. You also have access to the
complete excavation volumes for Delos and Delphi
Cahier
du Centre d'Etudes Chypriotes (CCEC)
A 'Cypriote-Herakles' in the National Museum, Athens
(by D. Counts)
Archaic Kouroi in
Naucratis: The Case for Cypriot Origin
(AJA 105, 2001) by Ian Jenkins
Tamassos
Limestone Funerary Sculptures
Archaische Kalksteinplastik Zypern
Die
Sammlung Cesnola by Johannes Doell (1873)
L.
Palma di Cesnola, Cyprus: Its Ancient Cities, Tombs, and Temples
(New York, 1878) Alexander
Palma di Cesnola, Salaminia (Cyprus): The Histories, Treasures, and
Antiquities of Salamis in the Island of Cyprus
2nd ed. (London, 1884)
The
Geography of the Eastern Mediterranean IV. Images,
Databases and Links of Interest (New!)
Museum of Cycladic Art The
Department of Antiquities, Republic of Cyprus
The Limassol District Archaeological Museum
Kourion
The Kelsey Museum of Archaeology (University of Michigan)
The Cesnola Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New
York)
Each
section provides a useful survey with links to examples from the
museum's collections
The Ashmolean Museum Collection
of Cypriote Art
Website of the Centre d'Études Chypriotes with information regarding this
important journal of Cypriote archaeology. Especially useful is the listing of
the Table of Contents for each issue published since 1984. The Cahier is
edited by A. Hermary, with the assistance of S. Fourrier and M. Yon.
Digital photos taken in the Spring of 2002 at the National Museum in Athens and a brief
commentary.
A 'Pastiche' of
5th c. BC Cypriote Sculpture in Providence, RI (by D.
Counts)
Among the collections of the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art at Brown University (Providence, RI, USA),
there is an enigmatic piece of Cypriote sculpture which features the head
of male, wearing a lion-skin headdress, set atop a draped female torso--obviously the product of a
flawed restoration. The statue presents an ideal opportunity to discuss two important
types of votive statuary commonly found in Archaic and Classical sanctuaries in
Cyprus. I would like to thank the Center for Old World Archaeology and Art for permission to
publish the piece in this forum.
An important recent article by Ian Jenkins (British Museum) discussing the
origin of a series of
'Cypriote-style' statuettes discovered at the site of Naukratis in Egypt. The
statuettes were previously thought to be made of alabaster, however Jenkins
provides evidence that they are in fact gypsum. Jenkins
argues that these so-called alabaster kouroi, as well as the limestone
statuettes discovered in the same area, are of Cypriote origin and were produced in SE
Cyprus for export . The question of provenience for Cypriote statuettes
found abroad is a hot topic and has been the focus of numerous recent studies
(see Bibliography). The link is to a full-text (.pdf) made available by the American Journal of
Archaeology.
Click here if you would like to see the
Abstract.
The
discovery of six limestone sculptures associated with the so-called 'Royal
Tombs' of Tamassos in 1996 is one of the most exciting discoveries of Cypriote
sculpture in the last several decades. Four lions and two sphinxes were
unearthed, almost fully intact and preserving traces of their original color.
The following brief announcement by Demos Christou (then director of the
Department of Antiquities, Cyprus) from the on-line archives of Archaeology
magazine discusses the discovery and illustrates two of the lions. The pieces
were published more fully by M.
Solomidou-Ieronymidou in the RDAC (2001). See Bibliography under
'General Studies'.
Full-text (.pdf) of Dimitris G. Mylonas's Mannheim dissertation on the subject
of Cypriote limestone sculpture (ISBN:
3-932178-09-2).
In 1873, J. Doell published an inventory of the Cesnola collection of Cypriote
antiquities on behalf of the Hermitage Museum which was considering purchasing
the collection. The plates from this volume are reproduced here. The importance of this work cannot be overestimated since it
represents a contemporary account of the collection, before the controversial
restorations that occurred after the collection arrived at the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York.
Full-text (on-line)
or (downloadable .pdf) of Cesnola's principal narrative of
late nineteenth century excavations on Cyprus, including the account of his
discoveries of limestone sculptures from sanctuaries in the region of Athienou/Golgoi.
The bulk of Cesnola's collection made its way to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
(New York) forming the nucleus of that museum's collection when it opened in
1880. Cesnola served as the Met's first director. See below for links to the
Met's www site on the Cesnola collection, as well as the on-line catalogue of
Cesnola artifacts now housed in the Semitic Museum (Harvard). Reproduction and
access to the text is provided by Google.
Full-text (on-line) of
Alexander Cesnola's (Luigi's brother) publication of investigations at
Salamis. Reproduction and
access to the text is provided by Google.
Map of the Eastern Mediterranean
*V. Karageorghis, et al.
Ancient Art from Cyprus (New York, 2000).
Map of Cyprus with Principal Archaeological
Sites
*V. Karageorghis, et al.
Ancient Art from Cyprus (New York, 2000).
Brief description and map from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Website of the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens (Greece), which houses a small, but interesting corpus of Cypriote antiquities, including sculpture. Highlights
include the upper torso of an archaic, draped make wearing a conical cap, as well as two Classical limestone statues featuring,
respectively, a reclining male and seated female.
Website of the Department of Antiquities (Cyprus) launched in 2005. The site contains a variety of useful resources for archaeologists and visitors, including special sections on the various sites and museums
under the aegis of the department. There are also links to information on
current excavations (local and foreign projects), news, department publications,
cultural heritage issues, archaeological legislation, as well as downloadable
forms (excavation permits).
Website of the LDAM maintained by the Municipality of Limassol. Includes
brief history, chronological chart, and images. Images include photos of the gallery space with objects on display, as well as
some additional photos of objects in the collection. In general, the image quality is only average. Viewable pieces of
limestone sculpture include:
1) a late archaic female votary (with well
preserved paint!)
2) the famous Hathor capital from Amathous
3) the colossal
Bes (also from Amathous)
4) a late limestone head from the so-called Sanctuary of Zeus Labranios
There is also an English version.
Webpage dedicated to the archaeological site of Kourion. Of special interest for the study of Cypriote
sculpture is the famous
Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates.
Database search for the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology at the University of Michigan.
The Kelsey Museum houses a fine collection of Cypriote sculpture, primarily from the site of
Golgoi.
The sculptures were originally part of the Cesnola Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and were
bought at auction in the Anderson Gallery sales of 1928. The limestone and terracotta sculptures in the Kelsey were
published by F. Albertson in 1991 (see Bibliography, 'Museum Catalogues and Special Collections').
Search Hint:
A site dedicated to the Cypriote galleries at the Met. There is
some background information on the collection and a selection of images. The
Cesnola Collection is among the largest
and most important collections of Cypriote antiquities in the
world, especially with regards to sculpture.
Accompanying the new installation is a lavishly illustrated volume (V. Karageorghis, et al. Ancient Art
from
Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection (New York, 2000).
Also from the Met: Timeline of Art
History
Illustrated guide to the collections of the
Metropolitan Museum, with several links of interest to
Cypriote
archaeologists, including:
The
Cesnola
Collection of the Metropolitan Museum
Prehistoric
Cypriot Art and Culture
Cyprus - Island of Copper
Geometric
and Archaic Cypriot Art
Hellenistic
and Roman Cypriot Art
of Cypriote limestone
sculpture:
Statue of a Priest with a Dove
Amathous Sarcophagus
(with multiple views)
Golgoi Sarcophagus (with multiple views)
Aphrodite with Winged Eros
Temple Boy
On-line guide to the Cypriote collections of the Ashmolean Museum including historical overview of the collection, chronological chart
of Cypriote art, information on proveniences and donors, as well as a link to the museums (now out-of-print) handbook by A. C. Brown and
H. Catling (see link above under 'Research and Discourse').
The David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art (Chicago)
Located on the University of Chicago's Hyde Park
campus, the David and Alfred Smart Museum of Art houses a permanent collection
of over 7000 objects, spanning five centuries of both Western and Eastern
civilizations. Among the holdings, in a collection of Cypriote pottery and some Cypriote
sculpture. Access to the museum's collections is available on-line via the
Smart Museum Online Database Project. Search Hints: use Cypriote
under Curator's Object Type and sculpture
under Registrar's Object Type. Images are available for several of the pieces; the quality is often disappointing.
The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota, FL)
An impressive collection of Cypriote sculpture is housed in the Ringling Museum.
The objects were purchased as part of the Metropolitan Museum's sale of
'duplicates' in the Cesnola collection in 1928 by Anderson Galleries. Part of
the collection has now been placed
on-line. Inconsistencies in classification detract from the
functionality of the search engine; however, but browsing the 'Ancient Art'
collection one finds several examples of Cypriote limestone sculptures
(including: several votary types, a banquet stele fragment, and a temple boy). A panoramic view of the gallery
of Cypriote sculpture in the
Astor Library is available from the Ringling's website; walk
forward into the next room to view the Cypriote sculptures on display. The collection
was published by N. Kershaw in 1983 (see Bibliography, 'Museum Catalogues and Special
Collections'; see also Minter 1971).
The Norwich Free Academy Slater Memorial Museum Cast Collection (Norwich, CT)
A spectacular and rather unexpected collection of ancient casts can be found in
the Slater Museum of the Norwich Free Academy (CT). The plaster cast collection is among the
largest and best preserved in the United States and includes masterpieces
of ancient sculpture (including architectural sculpture), as well as large
collection of Cypriote sculptures from the Cesnola Collection of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York). Images from the collection of plaster
casts in the Slater Memorial Museum are available through the On-line Gallery of the Slater Cast Collection.
A. G. Leventis Gallery of Cypriot Antiquities (The British Museum)
The British Museum houses a substantial collection of Cypriote sculpture (mostly from the excavations of Lang at ancient
Idalion). A selection of images are now available on the BM
website via COMPASS, the museum's on-line collections database. There are
approximately 70 objects of Cypriote art (ceramics, terracotta figurines,
limestone statuary, metal objects, coins) currently available. There are also
three, illustrated thematic presentations (on Cyprus in general, Enkomi, and
Aphrodite). Highlights (re: sculpture) include the Marion 'kouros', the
so-called 'Priest of Idalion', a temple-boy, and a marble, Julio-Claudian
portrait.
The
Medelhavsmuseet (Stockholm)
The Medelhavsmuseet houses an impressive collection of Cypriote antiquities (including limestone and terracotta sculpture),
primarily from the excavations of the Swedish Cyprus Expedition. The collection
is being re-installed in a new gallery as part of the on-going efforts of the Leventis
Foundation (see below) to exhibit and publish collections of Cypriote material in
foreign museums. Aside from the SCE, the collections in the
Medelhavsmuseet are published in Karageorghis 1977a and Karageorghis, et al.
2003 (see Bibliography under 'Museum Catalogues and Special Collections'); see
also Törnkvist 1972 (under 'Typology and Attributes') for a discussion of the
terracotta statuary of Ayia Irini.
The
Leventis Foundation (Nicosia, Cyprus)
The Leventis Foundation, under the direction of Dr. Vassos Karageorghis, has
made enormous efforts to re-install and publish collections of Cypriote antiquities
housed in foreign museums. Leventis has published a significant number of museum
catalogues (listed under 'Publications'). Those of special significance for Cypriote sculpture are listed in
the Bibliography under 'Museum Catalogues and Special Collections'.
Pierides
Foundation Museum (Larnaca, CYPRUS) 
A searchable database of the collection of Cypriote antiquities in the Pierides Foundation Museum. There are multiple images of every
artifact, as well as Quicktime VR movies for some. While the strength of the collection
lies in its ceramics and terracottas (especially lamps), there is also a significant
corpus of stone sculpture. The site also contains a history of the museum and the
Pierides family.
The Cesnola Collection of the Semitic Museum (Harvard)
An excellent website devoted to the collection of Cypriote antiquities housed in
the Semitic Museum at Harvard University (Cambridge, MA). The site is still in
its developmental phases, however much information is already available.
Foremost, there is a searchable database of the collection (strengths are in
ceramics, however some figural art is also represented including 16 examples of
votive statuary). You will also find a useful summary of the major phases of Cypriote art
and discussions of materials
and wares (in progress), as well as information regarding
the collection itself and its previous owner,
the infamous Luigi Palma di Cesnola. Finally, there is also an extensive
Bibliography
of studies in Cypriote archaeology covering all periods.
The
Belcher Collection of Cypriot Antiquities (Institute of Cypriot Studies, SUNY-Albany)
On-line catalogue of the collection of Cypriote antiquities housed at SUNY-Albany.
The collection can be consulted through two search functions: a
Browse Artifacts
search (which provides a comprehensive overview) or an advanced,
Artifact Search
(which requires input of search criteria). A small number of limestone
(including an interesting female head with city-crown and an incised larnax) and
terracotta sculptures are represented in the collection. Hint: search 'stone' or
'terracotta' under Ware/Material using the Artifact Search. There is also a
useful 'tour'
of the collection that puts selected pieces within an historical
framework.
The Worcester Art Museum
A splendid, late archaic head of a female votary/divinity wearing an elaborate headdress from the ancient
art galleries of the Worcester Art Museum.
Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
An impressive and elegant draped male votary from the important collection of Cypriote sculpture housed
in the
Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. The Cypriote collection has recently been published by
Bernhard-Walcher, et al. in 1999. (see
Bibliography under 'Catalogues')
Musée du Louvre
An archaic draped female statue from the large collections of Cypriote sculpture housed in the Louvre.
You
can also view an image of the statuette of a lyre player, reportedly from Knidos
but clearly of Cypriote
style. These are just two pieces from a large and impressive collection of Cypriote sculpture. The comprehensive
catalogue
by Hermary 1989 (see Bibliography under 'Catalogues') has become
the de facto handbook for the
study
of Cypriote sculpture. The Louvre also maintains a searchable database 'Atlas'. This system
is in the
process of being built and is already functional.
When completed it will be a valuable resource. As it stands
now, the sculptures
from Cyprus have not been included.
The Athienou Archaeological Project
The Athienou Archeological Project is sponsored by Davidson College and directed by Michael K.
Toumazou (Davidson), with the assistance of Associate Directors Derek B. Counts (University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee) and P. Nick Kardulias (College of Wooster). The website includes information
regarding the field school and excavations, as well as images of the site and a
selection of artifacts. There are also links to AJA abstracts and preliminary reports. Excavations at Athienou have
brought to
light one of the largest caches of Cypriote sculpture in the last 50 years. For a preliminary
study of the limestone sculpture from the site, see D. Counts, 'Contributions to the Study of Cypriote
Sculpture: Limestone Votives from
Athienou-Malloura (Ph.D. Diss. Brown University, 1998), available through UMI.
U.S. State Department. International Cultural Property Protection
U.S.
State Department site dedicated to International Cultural Property Protection
and the implementation of agreements (1999 and 2002) between the United States
and the Republic of Cyprus for the protection of cultural property. The site divides
the information into two separate sections 1) Byzantine Ritual and
ecclesiastical ethnological material and 2) Pre-Classical and Classical
archaeological material. Image databases accompany each section.
This site is maintained by Derek B. Counts
Assistant Professor of Classical Art and ArchaeologyÓ Derek B. Counts Site Last Updated: 04/11/2008
