Ancient Plaster: Casting Light on a Forgotten Sculptural Material offers a fresh exploration of plaster in the sculpture of the ancient Mediterranean and beyond. Challenging the traditional focus on marble and bronze, this volume reveals the crucial role of plaster both in the sculptor's workshop and as a medium for finished sculpture. Combining academic insights with contemporary artists' perspectives, the book also delves into the controversial topic of life-casting in antiquity and provides groundbreaking new interpretations of well-known plaster objects such as those from the Roman city of Baiae, near Naples. With chapters extending the chronological and geographical scope to early modern Europe and contemporary art school contexts, the book illuminates plaster's versatility and the continuity of its use across millennia. By rehabilitating this material, often overlooked or lost to the archaeological record, the volume offers a transformative view of ancient sculpture, appealing to both scholars and art enthusiasts alike.
| ISBN: | 9781836245940 |
| Publication date: | 29th August 2025 |
| Author: | Abbey L R Ellis, Emma Payne |
| Publisher: | The British Academy an imprint of Liverpool University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 418 pages |
| Series: | Proceedings of the British Academy: Themed Volumes of Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Genres: |
Sculpture |
Ancient Plaster: Casting Light on a Forgotten Sculptural Material offers a fresh exploration of plaster in the sculpture of the ancient Mediterranean and beyond. Challenging the traditional focus on marble and bronze, this volume reveals the crucial role of plaster both in the sculptor's workshop and as a medium for finished sculpture. Combining academic insights with contemporary artists' perspectives, the book also delves into the controversial topic of life-casting in antiquity and provides groundbreaking new interpretations of well-known plaster objects such as those from the Roman city of Baiae, near Naples. With chapters extending the chronological and geographical scope to early modern Europe and contemporary art school contexts, the book illuminates plaster's versatility and the continuity of its use across millennia. By rehabilitating this material, often overlooked or lost to the archaeological record, the volume offers a transformative view of ancient sculpture, appealing to both scholars and art enthusiasts alike.
Ancient Plaster features in the following genres: Sculpture
Ancient Plaster is available in Hardback
Ancient Plaster was written by Abbey L R Ellis, Emma Payne and published by The British Academy an imprint of Liverpool University Press
Ancient Plaster has 418 pages
Yes it is part of Proceedings of the British Academy: Themed Volumes of Essays in the Humanities and Social Sciences series
£150.00