The Triumph and Trade of Egyptian Objects in Rome : : Collecting Art in the Ancient Mediterranean / / Stephanie Pearson.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter DG Ebook Package English 2021
• VerfasserIn: Pearson, Stephanie,
• Place / Publishing House: Berlin ;, Boston : : De Gruyter, , [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Series: Image & Context , 20
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (VIII, 264 p.)

From gleaming hardstone statues to bright frescoes, the unexpected and often spectacular Egyptian objects discovered in Roman Italy have long presented an interpretive challenge. How they shaped and were shaped by religion, politics, and identity formation has now been well researched. But one crucial function of these objects remains to be explored: their role as precious goods in a collector’s economy. The Romans imported and recreated Egyptian goods in the most opulent materials available – gold, gems, expensive wood, ivory, luxurious textiles – and displayed them like true treasures. This is due in part to the way Romans encountered these items, as argued in this book: first as dazzling spolia from the war against Cleopatra, then as costly wares exchanged over the expanding Roman trade routes. In this respect, Romans treated Egyptian art surprisingly similarly to Greek art. By examining the concrete mechanisms through which Egyptian objects were acquired and displayed in Rome, this book offers a new understanding of this impressive material at the crossroads of Hellenistic, Roman, and Egyptian culture.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- I. Introduction: Egyptian Art in Rome as Art -- II. The Lure of Egyptian Treasures -- III. Triumphal Splendor -- IV. Trading in Luxury -- V. Sculptures for Cult and Collecting -- VI. Conclusion: Why Egypt? -- Summary -- Notes -- List of Figure Sources -- Works Cited -- Index