Greek Funerary Sculpture: Catalogue of the Collections at the Getty Villa

Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2001. — 172 p.It is a sad fact that most of the sculpture created in ancient Greece has vanished. Of that which has survived, a majority is funerary sculpture. These highly visible markers commemorating the dead were traditionally placed along roads near the entrances to cities, where they could be seen by all who entered and left the city. Although the monuments vary greatly in style, quality, and elaboration, they reach across the millennia bespeaking the common human sentiments at the loss of a loved one.This illustrated catalogue presents fifty-nine Greek funerary monuments in the Antiquities collection of the Getty Museum. Spanning the Classical and Hellenistic periods, the sculptures typically show the deceased either alone or surrounded by family. Ranging from depictions of seated mothers and modest maidens to nude boys and armed warriors, this collection offers new insight into Greek art and society that will undoubtedly pique the interest of both scholars and the general public.