Magna Graecia: Greek Art from South Italy and Sicily

The catalogue for an exhibition organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Tampa Museum of Art, this erudite volume showcases more than 80 objects-terracotta sculptures, gold jewelry, ceramic and bronze vases-on loan from Italian collections. Most are photographed from multiple angles and accompanied by detailed, if workmanlike, descriptions penned by scholars and curators from the Italian museums and translated by the Cleveland staff. Six scholarly essays consider the cultural and artistic impacts felt in South Italy and Sicily when the Greeks began to colonize that region, which later became known as Magna Graecia (""Great Greece""), in the 8th century BC. Paul, for instance, profiles the splendid ancient city of Agrigento, which was famous for its beauty and as well as its victories in chariot races; Carlos A. Picon considers the styles of sculpture in the Archaic and Classical periods. An impressive, learned and somewhat stodgy volume, this is best appreciated by historians and authentic enthusiasts. 170 color plates and 40 halftones.