Chrysoelephantine sculpture (from the Greek χρυσός - gold and ελεφάντινος - ivory in the genus; variant - chrysoelephantine ) - a sculpture of gold and ivory . It was characteristic of ancient art (mostly colossal statues of the gods). It consisted of a wooden frame, on which ivory plates were glued, transmitting a naked body; clothes, weapons, hair were made of gold.
Antique Statues
In ancient sources, about 200 chrysoelephantine statues are mentioned. None of these sculptures described in the literature have been preserved, some are known from copies in stone.
- The statue of Zeus at Olympia is one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World by Phidias.
- " Athena Parthenos " of the same master
- statues of kings of the Macedonian dynasty for Filippeyon (Olympia) by Leochar
- statue of Hera in the Argos Gerayon of the work of Polyclet
Also, masters such as Calamid worked in this technique.
Currently, archaeologists have found about 40-50 things (mostly fragments). Preserved samples of chrysoelephantine technique can be seen, for example, in the Delphic Archaeological Museum. These are several goals of the period of archaic and early classics [1] . The ivory has darkened with time, and therefore these statues are black.
Chrysoelephantine in the Art of New Time
Bronze and ivory sculpture
At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. the term "chrysoelefantin" began to mean not only a combination of gold and ivory, but also a combination of ivory in combination with some other material, mainly with bronze or silver.
The widespread use of bronze and ivory sculptures at the beginning of the 20th century was due to the beginning of the import of this material from the Belgian colony of Congo and the reduction in the price of ivory.
Art Deco
In the 1920s - 1930s sculptures made of bronze and ivory became the visiting card of the Art Deco style in decorative and applied art, and gained wide popularity in France, Germany and Austria. Antique interest in objects made of bronze and ivory arose in the 1970s, and since the 1990s. these unique products have become the bestsellers of the world's leading auctions.
Product Classification
According to Victor Arvas, sculptures made of bronze and ivory can be differentiated into 4 main stylistic directions:
- theatrical (hieratic),
- naturalistic sculptures (naturalistic),
- erotic (erotic)
- stylized (stylized).
In turn, the classification of Arvas can be further differentiated, 4 gradations of style can be divided into smaller subgroups.
Theatrical sculptures
Theatrical sculptures include, on the one hand, majestic and elegant figures in which the mood of mysticism and symbolism of the Art Nouveau style is still often preserved, and luxurious figures of dancers created under the influence of Russian Ballets , often presented in the sharp fixation of frozen, clearly stopped movements . The main representatives of the theatrical direction in sculpture are Dmitry Chiparus and Claire Jeanne Robert Coline (Colinet Cl. JR) . Theatrical sculptures include images of dancers, images of ancient goddesses, personifications of various concepts, as well as nudes.
Natural Sculptures
Arvas belongs to the category of naturalistic sculptures by the sculptures of Ferdinand Preiss (Preiss F.) and Otto Poertzel (Poertzel Otto) , implying greater concreteness and plausibility of life in the image of the characters. A large part of this group is occupied by sports topics, in addition, it should also include images of stars of the stage and cinema, historical figures, heroes of literature, the image of everyday secular scenes, the peasant genre and images of children. Sometimes sculptors depicted people so specifically that the prototype can be recognized from photographs of that time.
Erotic sculptures
Arvas includes the works of Bruno Zach (Zach B.) and Sharol to the category of erotic sculpture. These artists embodied the femme fatale image of their time: liberated, emancipated, equalized in rights, won the right to free and even vulgar behavior.
Stylized Sculptures
The main representatives of the stylized trend are Pierre Le Faguays, Paul Philippe (Philippe P.) and Alexander Keleti. These artists were influenced by cubism, futurism, and the technicalism of modern civilization. Fagoi and Keleti developed stylistic features that formed the basis of the international version of Art Deco and were transformed into the American version of Art Deco - “modernist”.
See also
- Acrolite - a statue of marble and wood
Literature
About Antiquity
- Kenneth DS Lapatin. Chryselephantine Statuary in the Ancient Mediterranean World, 2001. Introduction to pdf
About Art Deco
- Victor Arwas. "Art deco". London, 1992 [2]
- Victor Arwas. "Art Deco Sculpture: Chryselephantine Statuettes of the Twenties and Thirties", London, 1975 [3]
- Bryan Catley, "Art Deco and other Figures." Woodbridge, Suffolk, 1978 [4]
- Alberto Shayo. "Chiparus: Master of Art Deco." New York, 1993 [5]
- Alberto Shayo. "Ferdinand Preiss: Art Deco sculptor." Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2005 [6]
- Harold Berman. “Bronzes: sculptors and founders. 1800-1830. " Chicago, 1933 [7]