The travel of the Centaur. Arcesilaus and the diffusion of models between East and West · This paper deals with the iconographic analysis of some terminals belonging to the ivory rhytons found at Old Nisa (Turkmenistan) by the JuTAKE expedition in last century. In particular, the group formed by a centaur bearing a Nymph on his shoulder is compared with analogue subjects found in Mediterranean domain, as the Italic urns of the end of the Hellenistic period. The terminals are, furthermore, put in relationship with the famous reference in Plinius to the sculptor Arcesilaus, whose works were largely appreciated by contemporaneous artists. In particular, Arcesilaus was mentioned for the creation of proplasmata, clay models for big statues, that were considered of the same value as the finished works. We know from Plinius that the sculptor produced a group of “centauri Nymphas gerentes” held in the villa of Asinius Pollion, along with other famous works among which a statue of Venus Genitrix, presumably in terracotta, which was placed unfinished within the forum of Caesar. The diffusion of this subject, along with a deeply rooted tradition of clay models and plaster casts in ancient Asia could, likely, testify an Asian origin of Arcesilaus.

Il viaggio del Centauro. Arcesilao e la circolazione di modelli fra Oriente e Occidente

Eleonora Pappalardo
2019-01-01

Abstract

The travel of the Centaur. Arcesilaus and the diffusion of models between East and West · This paper deals with the iconographic analysis of some terminals belonging to the ivory rhytons found at Old Nisa (Turkmenistan) by the JuTAKE expedition in last century. In particular, the group formed by a centaur bearing a Nymph on his shoulder is compared with analogue subjects found in Mediterranean domain, as the Italic urns of the end of the Hellenistic period. The terminals are, furthermore, put in relationship with the famous reference in Plinius to the sculptor Arcesilaus, whose works were largely appreciated by contemporaneous artists. In particular, Arcesilaus was mentioned for the creation of proplasmata, clay models for big statues, that were considered of the same value as the finished works. We know from Plinius that the sculptor produced a group of “centauri Nymphas gerentes” held in the villa of Asinius Pollion, along with other famous works among which a statue of Venus Genitrix, presumably in terracotta, which was placed unfinished within the forum of Caesar. The diffusion of this subject, along with a deeply rooted tradition of clay models and plaster casts in ancient Asia could, likely, testify an Asian origin of Arcesilaus.
2019
Centaur, Nymphas, Arcesilaus, Rhytons.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11769/371302
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