Posted 01/15/2012 12:20 pm
Quote:
I read the Greek term for this pose somewhere but I can't find it again. Later it was used by the Romans and called contrappasto.
Interesting to see that style applied to an otherwise simple figure. This is also called the "Praxitelean curve", after the Greek sculptor Praxiteles, who pioneered the style. One can see how this is interpreted across the Greek world, such as with Poseidon on this Baktrian coin:I read the Greek term for this pose somewhere but I can't find it again. Later it was used by the Romans and called contrappasto.
Slowly, classical Greek stylistic influence was supplanted by Roman conventions on coins and art. Here, the contrappasto barely survives on Providentia. It's surprising to see how Classical style slowly lost its influence, largely gone by the Byzantine era, only to be re-discovered during the Renaissance. In retrospect, I wish I did my art history theses on Greco-Roman coins.
Nice centaur coin! I ought to get one myself--another interesting blend of Greek and Roman culture.
Edited by DVCollector
01/15/2012 12:26 pm
01/15/2012 12:26 pm
