Wednesday, July 11, 2007
An Afternoon at the Glyptothek
Contrary to its name, the Glyptothek is not Munich's hottest Egyptian dance club, but rather a museum of antiquities located on the Konigplatz. Constructed in the form of an Ionic temple to house King Ludwig I's collection of classical sculptures, with collections spanning the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Most people in my tour group would likely have had difficulty explaining the difference between these different styles, but fortunately the guide from yesterday's tour of the Lensbachhaus was there to lead the way. Below are a few photographic highlights from the collections.
First, the external facade of the museum:
This is supposedly a bust of Homer. Considering how strict the museum was about flash photography, one might think they would care more about leaving it next to an open window.
But if famous Greek poets aren't your thing, there's also a panoply of Roman emperors.
Like Augustus:
And Nero:
And even Commodus...who does not look anything at all like Joaquin Phoenix:
The most famous pieces in the museum, however, the ones the guidebooks tell you to notice and whose pictures are found in the nearby U-Bahn station are the Apoll von Tenea and the Barberinische Faun.
I don't have anything against the Apoll von Tenea, although for a statue purported to be an exemplar of proportionality and grace in sculpture, it's hard not to notice that its right hand is FLOATING IN SPACE.
And the Barberinische Faun is fine too, although one has to be rather observant to confirm that it is in fact a half-man/half-goat hybrid rather than just a very large drunk slouching on a marble chaise lounge.
On the whole, I enjoyed my visit to the Glyptothek. The museum's collections are elegantly laid out and the statues remain remarkably well-preserved, especially given that the museum building (like much of the city) was damaged during World War II. I recommend it highly to any classical scholars in my reading audience who plan to visit Munich in the future.
Contrary to its name, the Glyptothek is not Munich's hottest Egyptian dance club, but rather a museum of antiquities located on the Konigplatz. Constructed in the form of an Ionic temple to house King Ludwig I's collection of classical sculptures, with collections spanning the Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. Most people in my tour group would likely have had difficulty explaining the difference between these different styles, but fortunately the guide from yesterday's tour of the Lensbachhaus was there to lead the way. Below are a few photographic highlights from the collections.
First, the external facade of the museum:
This is supposedly a bust of Homer. Considering how strict the museum was about flash photography, one might think they would care more about leaving it next to an open window.
But if famous Greek poets aren't your thing, there's also a panoply of Roman emperors.
Like Augustus:
And Nero:
And even Commodus...who does not look anything at all like Joaquin Phoenix:
The most famous pieces in the museum, however, the ones the guidebooks tell you to notice and whose pictures are found in the nearby U-Bahn station are the Apoll von Tenea and the Barberinische Faun.
I don't have anything against the Apoll von Tenea, although for a statue purported to be an exemplar of proportionality and grace in sculpture, it's hard not to notice that its right hand is FLOATING IN SPACE.
And the Barberinische Faun is fine too, although one has to be rather observant to confirm that it is in fact a half-man/half-goat hybrid rather than just a very large drunk slouching on a marble chaise lounge.
On the whole, I enjoyed my visit to the Glyptothek. The museum's collections are elegantly laid out and the statues remain remarkably well-preserved, especially given that the museum building (like much of the city) was damaged during World War II. I recommend it highly to any classical scholars in my reading audience who plan to visit Munich in the future.
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