Greek Antiquities

Ancient Greece was a culture known for its forward thinking, and nowhere is this more evident than in its visual record. Antiquities and artifacts from ancient Greece reveal both the dramatic evolution and extensive contribution Greek artists gave to the history of the fine and decorative arts.

The earliest Greek artifacts on record date to the 9th century and are characterized by relatively abstract and geometric representations of figures and narratives that appear in both painted pottery and freestanding figural sculpture. Very rapidly, however, the Greek artistic approach evolved in an overall quest for increased naturalism. Such was epitomized by the work of famed 5th century sculptor Polykleitos, who developed a canon for ideal human proportions and musculature and accordingly paved the way for beautiful, increasingly real renderings of both male and female figures.

Greek pottery and ancient artifacts available on the auction market today reflect this rich revolution in artistic styles, creating a brilliant backdrop for a collection of ancient art. While some Greek antiquities are more fragmented than others, they all contribute to a celebration of the classical Greek age.

Quick Facts

• As a testament to his goal of creating ideal human proportions, sculptor Polykleitos recorded his canon in sculptural form in the "Doryphoros," or "Spear Bearer," created between 450-440 B.C.
• Early Greek figures of men and women are known for their relatively expressionless faces, save for a slight smirk. This feature is known as an "Archaic smile" because it is shared by the vast majority of figural representations of Greece's Archaic Age (800-480 B.C.)
• Painted pottery is the best visual record of Greek artists' skills with a brush. Outside of these painted vessels, very few paintings survive from the ancient Greek world