Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World at The Met Fifth Avenue, April 18 – July 17, 2016

Photographs by Corrado Serra.

“The conquests of Alexander the Great transformed the ancient world, making trade and cultural exchange possible across great distances. Alexander’s retinue of court artists and extensive artistic patronage provided a model for his successors, the Hellenistic kings, who came to rule over much of his empire. Pergamon and the Hellenistic Kingdoms of the Ancient World focuses on the astonishing wealth, outstanding artistry, and technical achievements of the Hellenistic period (323–30 B.C.)—the three centuries between Alexander and Cleopatra. The exhibition brings together more than 265 objects that were created through the patronage of the royal courts of the Hellenistic kingdoms, with an emphasis on the ancient city of Pergamon (now known as Bergama, in present-day Turkey) and the capital of the Attalid Dynasty that ruled over large parts of Asia Minor.” — The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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First section “Alexander the Great and His World”. Center: Gold and enamel myrtle wreath. Greek (Macedonian), Late Classical period, ca. 350–325 B.C.

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Marble herm of Philetairos of Pergamon. Roman, late 1st century B.C.; copy of a Greek statue of ca. 250 B.C. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples

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Marble Statue of Athena Parthenos. Greek, Hellenistic period, ca. 170 B.C.; copy of a mid-5th century B.C. chryselephantine cult statue of Athena Parthenos by Pheidias. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Fragmentary Marble Colossal Head of a Youth. Greek, Hellenistic period, 2nd century B.C. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Marble portrait of Menander. Roman, Early Imperial period, ca. 1st century A. D.; copy of a Greek statue probably set up at Athens in the early 3rd century B. C. Dumbarton Oaks, Washington, D.C.

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Marble tragic and comic theater masks. Greek, Hellenistic period, 2nd century B.C. and Early Imperial period, 1st century A. D.

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Left to right: Marble portrait head of Epikouros, Roman, Imperial period, 2nd century A. D., The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marble herm with a portrait of Antisthenes, Roman, Imperial period, late 1st or early 2nd century A. D., Museo Pio Clementino, Musei Vaticani. Marble portrait head of Karneades, Roman, Augustan period, Late 1st century B. C., Antikenmuseum Basel und Sammlung Ludwig.

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Marble head of a colossal statue of Zeus. Greek, Hellenistic preiod, 150-100 B. C. National Archaeological Museum , Athens

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Marble sculptural group with the freeing of Prometheus. Greek, Hellenistic period, late 2nd-early 1st century B.C. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Marble head of a dying Persian. Roman, Imperial period, first half of the 2nd century A.D.; copy of a Greek (Pergamene) bronze original of late 3rd century B.C. Museo Palatino, Rome

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Installation view of Section “The Great Altar of Pergamon”.

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Colossal marble head of Herakles. Greek, Hellenistic period, first half of the 2nd century B. C. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Large-scale sculptures from the terrace of The Great Altar at Pergamon. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Large scale sculptures from the terrace of The Great Altar at Pergamon. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Model of the Great Altar at Pergamon, after Wolfram Hoepfner (1:20). Made at the Academy of Fine Arts, Wrocław, Poland, 1995. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Section “The Luxury Arts”. Center: Upper Body of a Queen Greek (Pergamene). Hellenistic period, second quarter of the 2nd century B.C. Marble. Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin

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Section “Rome: A New Center  for Hellenistic Art”. Center: Sleeping Hermaphrodite. Roman, first half of the 2nd century A.D. Copy of a Greek original of the 2nd century B.C. Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, Rome.

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Objects found in the sunken cargo ships from The Mahdia Shipwreck and The Antikythera Shipwreck

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Center: Bronze statue of an aristocratic boy. Roman, Augustan period, 27 B.C.–A.D. 14. Said to be from Rhodes. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Left: Three marble relief slabs with a naval battle (The Actium Reliefs). Roman, Claudian period, A.D. 41–54. Collection of the Dukes of Cardona, Córdoba