Famous Marble Sculpture Preceding the Italian Renaissance

May 23, 2011
Christine Diehl

Roman sculpture prefered accurate details over beauty in art. - Harvey Wolfson

Marble sculptures litter the landscape, culture and history of Italy.

Most well known sculptures leading to the Italian Renaissance come out of three distinct cultural periods: Classical Greece, the Roman Empire and the early Renaissance. Political and religious leaders commissioned artistic sculptures to fulfill utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. Marble statues decorated burial grounds, public buildings and private homes. Often homes, and pieces were often used symbolically as messages of victory or piety.

Greek Sculpture

Grecian sculptors favored artistic beauty over realism. Art historians classify Greek art into three periods: Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic. These terms simply classify the shift from early early, stiffly sculpted body poses into free flowing poses and more emotionally evocative pieces. Greek marble sculptures usually depict legendary tales of gods and goddesses. Overlaps in Greek and Roman art create ambiguity in the names of sculptures.

Venus de Milo

The Venus de Milo, sculpted in the early 100s BC, was found in the city of Milos. It is also known as Aphrodite de Milo; Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and fertility. The sculpture is a prime example of a famous Greek marble statue. Possibly most known for her missing arms, it is believed that the Venus de Milo was originally sculpted with one hand holding an apple while the other supports her drapery. The creator of the Venus de Milo is not certain, though it is sometimes credited to sculptor Alexandros of Antioch.

Roman Sculpture

Marble sculptures from the Roman period were often copies of Greek statues or earlier Roman bronze statues. As Roman’s developed artistically, realism became more valued than beauty in sculpture. Sculptures were often used as propaganda for politicians and political affairs. It can be argued that Roman sculptures are the least popular of Italian marble sculptures.

Augustus of Prima Porta

Augustus was a well known for defeating the Parthians and securing Roman rule in 20 B.C. The marble statue of Augustus follows suit in honoring politicians. Though, it is likely a copy of an earlier bronze sculpture of the war hero. The sculpture is named after the city where it was discovered. Prima Porta was the original home of Augustus’s wife.

The history of Augustus of Prima Porta, like most Roman marble sculptures, is unclear. Theorists believe that battle against the Parthians was added to Augustus’s breast plate in honor of the leader in the marble version of the sculpture.

Renaissance Period

Italians experienced the artistic explosion of the Renaissance Period during the 1400s and 1500s. Michelangelo Buonarroti is one of the best known artists of this period and of all time, due to his success across artistic mediums. While Michelangelo has many famous contemporaries, he experienced greater success sculpting marble statues. The Catholic Church ruled Rome during the Renaissance. Therefore, the most famous marble sculptures depict Biblical scenes and characters.

Pieta

Michelangelo sculpted Pieta from 1495 to 1499, completing it at age 24. The statue was intended for the gravesite of French Catholic Cardinal, Jean de Billheres. It is now housed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Pieta depicts the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. Though Michelangelo was criticized for making Mary’s face appear too young, the sculpture was and still is revered as one of the best of its time.

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