Cornell University Library Digital Collections

Architectural sculpture from the Treasury of Atreus

Title:
Architectural sculpture from the Treasury of Atreus
Collection:
Cornell Cast Collection
Creator:
Unknown
Date:
ca. 1880-1920
ca. 1300-1250 BCE
2009 (image)
Site:
Mycenae, Greece (reproduction)|Mycenae, Greece (original)
Accession:
221 engraved on top|321
Original Culture:
Greek
Original Style:
Mycenaean Late Helladic IIIB
Work Type:
casts (sculpture)
Materials/Techniques:
plaster cast (sculpture)|rosso antico sculpture in relief (original)
Subject:
Architecture, Mycenaean
Image View Description:
from front
Image View Type:
overall
Extent:
44 (H) x 77 (W) x 5 (D) cm
Original Extent:
41 (H) x 97 (W) x 13.8 (D) cm
Description:
This is a cast of a fragment of architectural sculpture of red marble from the facade of the so-called Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae, a tholos tomb dated to ca. 1250 BCE. The fragment from which this cast was taken is housed in the British Museum. The relief sculpture is contained in three registers and is restored in the relieving triangle above the tomb's door lintel. Running spirals in three registers are bordered by narrow moldings. The central register is in slightly higher relief than those above and below it, and has space within the spirals for central inlays. The once-trapezoidal original is heavily damaged along the top and viewer's left edges; this cast has been filled in to produce straight lines. This piece perhaps once belonged to the architectural cast collection originally housed in Lincoln Hall.
Condition:
Relatively good condition
gray varnish
significant staining
water damage
one drill hole at top center
Bibliography:
See catalog entry for this object at britishmuseum.org
Repository:
Cornell University (current)
London, British Museum (Museum number 1816,0610.180) (original)
Repository Location:
Warehouse
Collecting Program:
Cornell Collections of Antiquities
Rights:
The images in the Cornell Collection of Antiquities: Casts are protected by copyright, and the copyright holders are their creators, generally Cornell University Library, Annetta Alexandridis, and Verity Platt. This collection of plaster casts owned by Cornell University was photographed by Cornell University Library, Alexandridis, Platt, and Andreya L. Mihaloew from 2010-2015, with funding from a Digital Collections in Arts and Sciences Grant to Annetta Alexandridis. Cornell is providing access to the materials for research and personal use.  The written permission of any copyright and other rights holders is required for distribution, reproduction, or other use that extends beyond what is authorized by fair use and other statutory exemptions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with persons desiring to use the item. Please contact Annetta Alexandridis and Verity Platt for more information about this collection, or to request permission to use these images.
Disclaimer:
Items in the Cornell Cast Collection are meant for inventory and reference purposes. Metadata may not be complete in all cases.

About the collection

Cornell University once owned a collection of plaster casts of sculptures, gemstones and inscriptions from different cultures and periods such as the ancient Near East, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and Rome (the majority), the European Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the 19th century. In addition, architectural models and details of architectural sculpture from the above-mentioned periods formed part of the collection together with more abstract drawing models for art students. This collection must have comprised about 2000 pieces (ca. 1000 being reproductions of gemstones), only a part of which has survived, often in very bad condition and distributed all over campus. The present database has several goals: curatorial, didactic, documentary and scholarly. First, it will give an idea of what has been preserved and is a step towards reuniting the remaining holdings, at least on a virtual basis. Moreover, the database can serve as the starting point for further possible restoration of the casts, since it allows for assembling the fragments of destroyed sculptures that sometimes are stored in different locations. Once complete, the database will help students and faculty alike to familiarize themselves with major monuments and artworks of the past.