A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum, Volume 1 (of 2)

E-text prepared by Jonathan Ingram, Lesley Halamek, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net)


The present volume by Mr. Arthur Smith, Assistant in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, includes the sculptures of the Archaic period: those of the Parthenon and other Athenian buildings; the remains of the temple at Phigaleia; the Greek reliefs, and some other sculptures which, though produced in Roman times, yet represent Greek originals of the great age.
In the section which deals with the sculptures of Athens much has been retained from Sir Charles Newton's Guide to the Elgin Room , Pts. I.-II. While adding the results of more recent research, Mr. Smith has contributed on his part interesting material.
The sculptures of the archaic period have of late years been the subject of much discussion; the results of these discussions, as they apply to the collection of the British Museum, have now been brought together and summarized.
The Greek reliefs, which form an important section of the present volume, belong to a class of sculptures which have produced much difference of opinion as to the subjects represented by them. Mr. Smith has stated briefly the principal views, by way of introduction to the several classes of reliefs.
A. S. Murray
3rd December, 1891.


The following is a list of the works which are most frequently referred to, in this Catalogue, under abbreviated forms:—