This is a past event
Join us for this online talk with archaeologists Dr Jutta Fischer (Rostock university) and Dr Sven Kielau (Roemer and Pelizaeus Museum Hildesheim)
The collection of the University of Aberdeen has 44 high-quality plaster casts of Greek terracottas of the so-called Tanagra style. They were purchased between 1886 and 1889 and were part of the Wilson Collection.
But where did the Tanagra women come from? In the graves of the Greek city of Tanagra near Athens, numerous well-preserved, brightly painted female figures were discovered from around 1870, first during robbery excavations, then during the first scientific excavations.
The sensational finds from the robbery excavations quickly found their way into international trade. The genus was given the name »Tanagras«. At the time, museums competed on the art market to enrich their exhibitions with original »Tanagras«. In addition, they were reproduced in modern workshops and adorned salons of numerous citizens interested in antiquity.
The casts in Aberdeen were made in Berlin by the Gurlitt workshop, which was located near the Brandenburg Gate. The casts of the original Greek terracotta figures fit perfectly into the taste of the fin de siècle. At the same time, the paintings of the French Impressionists became popular and especially the portrayals of women in the Tanagra style look like women from the paintings of Claude Monet.
Plaster replicas such as those from the Gurlitt workshop show the broad appreciation that terracottas were held in over 100 years ago. Archaeology also began to study not only the large statues and temples, but also the small finds.
- Speaker
- Dr Sven Kielau and Dr Jutta Fischer
- Hosted by
- UoA Collections Online
- Venue
- Online
- Contact
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If you are interested in joining us for a chat and a cup of tea, please email events.uoacollections@abdn.ac.uk for the link to the MS Teams session.