How to Read Greek Sculpture

By Seán Hemingway

This volume, the latest installment in The Met's widely acclaimed How to Read series, introduces eight centuries of Greek sculpture, from the early rectilinear designs of the Geometric period (ca. 900–700 B.C.) through the groundbreaking creativity of the Archaic and Classical periods to the monumental achievements of the Hellenistic Age (323–31 B.C). The generous selection of objects and materials—ranging from the sacred to the everyday, and from bronze and marble to gold, ivory, and terracotta—acts as primer on Greek art but also on life in ancient Greece.

The informative text features a comprehensive introduction and insightful discussions of forty objects, including depictions of Zeus, Athena, and Eros; architectural elements; funerary reliefs; perfume vases; and jewelry. An essential volume on one of the most remarkable achievements of Western art, this book reveals how Greek artists captured the fundamental aspects of the human condition more than two millennia ago.

Seán Hemingway is the John A. and Carole O. Moran Curator in Charge of the Department of Greek and Roman Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.