Power and pathos : bronze sculpture of the Hellenistic world / edited by Jens M. Daehner and Kenneth Lapatin.

"This publication is issued on the occasion of the exhibition Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World, on view at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, from March 14 to June 21, 2015; at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, from July 28 to November 1, 2015; and at the National Gallery of Art from December 6, 2015 to March 20, 2016"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 324-355) and index.

"For the general public and specialists alike, the Hellenistic period (323-31 BC) and its diverse artistic legacy remain underexplored and not well understood. Yet it was a time when artists throughout the Mediterranean developed new forms, dynamic compositions, and graphic realism to meet new expressive goals, particularly in the realm of portraiture. Rare survivors from antiquity, large bronze statues are today often displayed in isolation, decontextualized as masterpieces of ancient art. Power and Pathos gathers together significant examples of bronze sculpture in order to highlight their varying styles, techniques, contexts, functions, and histories. As the first comprehensive volume on large-scale Hellenistic bronze statuary, this book includes groundbreaking archaeological, art-historical, and scientific essays offering new approaches to understanding ancient production and correctly identifying these remarkable pieces. Designed to become the standard reference for decades to come, the book emphasizes the unique role of bronze both as a medium of prestige and artistic innovation and as a material exceptionally suited for reproduction." -- Publisher's description