The Triumph and Trade of Egyptian Objects in Rome: Collecting Art in the Ancient Mediterranean

Stephanie Pearson

Published by De Gruyter 2021

The Triumph and Trade of Egyptian Objects in Rome

Collecting Art in the Ancient Mediterranean

Stephanie Pearson

Volume 20 in the series Image & Context

https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110700893

Overview
Contents

About this book

From gleaming hardstone statues to bright frescoes, the unexpected and often spectacular Egyptian objects discovered in Roman Italy have long presented an interpretive challenge. How they shaped and were shaped by religion, politics, and identity formation has now been well researched. But one crucial function of these objects remains to be explored: their role as precious goods in a collector’s economy. The Romans imported and recreated Egyptian goods in the most opulent materials available – gold, gems, expensive wood, ivory, luxurious textiles – and displayed them like true treasures. This is due in part to the way Romans encountered these items, as argued in this book: first as dazzling spolia from the war against Cleopatra, then as costly wares exchanged over the expanding Roman trade routes. In this respect, Romans treated Egyptian art surprisingly similarly to Greek art. By examining the concrete mechanisms through which Egyptian objects were acquired and displayed in Rome, this book offers a new understanding of this impressive material at the crossroads of Hellenistic, Roman, and Egyptian culture.

Author information

Stephanie Pearson, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin.

Reviews

"The triumph and trade of Egyptian objects in Rome is a beautifully produced volume with copious color images as well as helpful maps and graphics. […] Pearson’s book adds a great deal to our understanding of Egyptian art in Rome. It brings much needed attention to the high quality of Egyptian objects in Roman collections and the value placed upon those objects."
Prudence Jones in: BMCR 2022.01.21

***

„For some, I suspect, what will be most refreshing here is the refusal to be sidetracked by questions about the applicability of post-Enlightenment frameworks of ‘art’ to classical antiquity (a major debate over the last decade).6 For others, what will likely appeal is the engaging writing style and short, reader-friendly endnotes. As we have come to expect from De Gruyter’s ICON series, the integrated colour images and design also do justice to the author’s claims about ‘outstanding craftsmanship and beauty’ (5).“
Michael Squire in: Greece & Rome, 2022/1

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	V
Preface Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
I. Introduction: Egyptian Art in Rome as Art Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
II. The Lure of Egyptian Treasures Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	29
III. Triumphal Splendor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	79
IV. Trading in Luxury Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	117
V. Sculptures for Cult and Collecting Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	157
VI. Conclusion: Why Egypt? Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
Summary Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	196
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	201
List of Figure Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	223
Works Cited Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	229
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	259

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: De Gruyter
Audience: Archaeologists, Ancient historians, Egyptologists, Art historians, Cultural anthropologists
Pages
- Front matter: 8
- Main content: 264
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 63
- Coloured Illustrations: 35
Keywords: Roman trade; wall painting; Pompeii; Egyptian objects

eBook

Published: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 9783110700893

Hardcover

Published: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 9783110700404