British Museum <London> / Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities [Hrsg.]: Græco-roman sculptures (London, 1874)

G4LEC0-R0MAN SCULPTURES.

THE collection of Grseco-Roman Sculptures consists prin-
cipally of the Towneley Gallery, purchased in 1805. The
most important subsequent additions have been a small
collection of busts, bequeathed by Mr. R. P. Knight in
1824, the statues from the Farnese Palace, purchased in
1864, and some busts and other marbles from the Pourtales
Collection, purchased in 1865.
Under the general class Grseco-Roman Sculptures are
comprised groups ; single figures and busts in the round;
detached reliefs ; sarcophagi, vases, and architectural mar-
bles ornamented with reliefs or figures.
The greater part of these sculptures were discovered at
Rome and its environs, and may be ascribed to the Roman
period. Many of them were probably executed by Greek
artists working under Roman influence ; some few may be
recognized, with more or less of certainty, as copies of cele-
brated works by earlier Greek artists. Hence the term
Grseco-Roman has been used to characterize this col-
lection generally. The greater part of these sculptures
have been published and engraved in the " Ancient
Marbles in the British Museum," Parts 1.—V., and Parts
X., XI. Representations of most of them will be found
in the two series of Photographs recently published by
Mr. Caldesi and Mr. Harrison respectively.
The subjects represented in these sculptures are, for
the most part, Mythological personages and scenes, or
Iconic statues and busts. The latter series, consisting
chiefly of statues and busts of Roman Emperors, is at
B