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Indepth Arts News:
"Cypriot Art from the Collection of Classical Antiquities"
1999-11-23 until 2000-01-23
Art History Museum
Vienna, ,
AT Austria
Throughout the centuries both the history
and culture of Cyprus have been formed by
its location at the crossroads of cultural
exchange between Europe, Asia and
Africa. Antiquities excavated on Cyprus
bear witness to a culture influenced from
abroad, due to its geographic location
between the great cultures of the ancient
world, but which developed from these
influences its own unique tradition. Though
less well known than the art of Ancient
Greece and Rome, it has a charm all its
own.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum’s collection
of Cypriot art contains over 700 objects
dating from the early Bronze Age to the
Roman Empire, it is thus one of the largest
and most important in Europe. Its two best
known masterpieces are: the Amazonian
Sarcophagus from Soloi, and the Artemis
from Larnaca. The Amazonian
Sarcophagus was discovered in the 16th
century, and records show it to have been
in Vienna since the early 17th century. But
the main stock of the Cypriot collection –
limestone sculptures, ceramics, terracottas
– was assembled during the last third of the
19th century when objects from the
collections of Luigi Palma di Cesnola, Max
Ohnefalsch-Richter, and Georg von
Millosicz were acquired.
In conjunction with the presentation of the
newly published catalogue The Collection
of Cypriot Art in the Kunsthistorisches
Museum”, the exhibition Cypriot Art from
the Collection of Classical Antiquities” will
be on show in the Museum’s Special
Exhibition Hall from November 23, 1999
until January 23, 2000, and will feature a
selection from this important but little-known
stock.
The catalogue contains numerous
photographs and offers a survey of the
fascinating history of Cypriot archaeology
during the 19th and 20th century, as well as
introductory essays and detailed
descriptions of the most important Cypriot
objects in the Collection of Classical
Antiquities of the Kunsthistorisches
Museum. This new publication in English
and German is intended for an international
audience and aims to present the beauty
and uniqueness of Cypriot art.
Related Links:
Quick Arts
Access:
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