Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich
Munich's antiquity museums are useful because they separate two important kinds of evidence: sculpture and object collections. The Glyptothek concentrates on ancient sculpture, while the State Collections of Antiquities provide pottery, bronze, glass, terracotta and minor arts.
this is a strong example of a museum pair: one part shows the body, portrait, ideal type and architectural sculpture, while the other brings the evidence closer to craft, tableware, ritual and daily environments.
Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich: Exterior, Glyptothek Munich - DSC07378.
Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich: Interior, Glyptothek Munich - DSC07278.
Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich: Pan-Glyptothek Munich.Collection and Historical Context
Munich's collections should not be read as a single archaeological context: they are collections with their own history of collecting. therefore emphasize comparison of forms and types rather than the reconstruction of one place.
Work with this museum requires three levels to be kept separate: display, catalogue and archaeological context. The display shows the object's form and scale, the catalogue clarifies date, material, inventory number and collection history, while context explains whether the object came from a house, cemetery, sanctuary, fort, workshop or urban monument.
A single famous exhibit is not always typical. Series are more reliable: several vessels of one type, a group of inscriptions, a funerary assemblage, repeated military fittings or several related sculptural solutions. Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich should therefore be read not only through its most famous objects, but through the links between galleries, collections and findspots.
Display and Main Materials
Important material includes Archaic and Classical sculpture, Roman portraiture, Greek vases, bronze and glass objects, terracottas and jewellery. It is especially useful to compare how one city displays monumental sculpture and small object evidence.
In the museum display it is important to look not only at individual masterpieces but at the neighbourhood of objects: sculpture, inscriptions, pottery, coins, architectural fragments and everyday items often explain one another better than an isolated photograph.
Glyptothek Munich - Room 5-Head of a boy. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Glyptothek Munich - Room 3-Statue. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Aphaia head sphinx Glyptothek Munich 91. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.Related Topics
- Museums of Antiquity
- National Archaeological Museum, Athens
- Pergamonmuseum and Antikensammlung Berlin
- Capitoline Museums and Antiquity
- Roman Archaeological Sources
Official Pages and Catalogues
Bust Alexander Severus Glyptothek Munich. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Head of Ares Borghese label QS:Len,"Head of Ares Borghese" label QS:Lde,"Kopf des Ares Borghese". Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Head of Miltiades Glyptothek Munich. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 01. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 02. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 08. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 09. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 12. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 13. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 17. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 18. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.
Sculpture at Glyptothek museum, Munich 19. Object from the collection: Glyptothek and State Collections of Antiquities, Munich.Interested in Ancient Rome beyond reading? Join Legio X Fretensis or explore our reenactment directions.
