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a temporary exhibit
La Pierre en Images
Les sculptures de Noviodunum: entre province et métropole
Visions in stone
Noviodunum's Sculpture: between the provinces and the metropolis
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14 April 2000 - 30 April 2001 |
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For a year the museum's main exhibition area featured the setting of a sculpture workshop and of a garden. Some of the pieces from the museum collection were shown as they might have looked when they were new, i.e., painted, and on pedestals in the garden, or even still in the workshop. The exhibition was occasioned by analysis of all the stone types found in the collection, which revealed the history of each piece: its probably place of origin, workmanship, age, and destination. |
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Sculptures filled the lives of ancient people. Displaying statues of the emperor , and of the imperial royal families and high officials, showed respect and loyalty to authority that was expected under the Empire.
Cities, associations and private citizens commissioned works for display in public places. Sanctuaries, temples and cemeteries were full of statues, |
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This double herm, representing Arianna and Bachus, is shown as it appears today, unpainted, and as it probably looked when it was new. Once a statue had been carved, it would have been dipped in wax, to give the effect of skin. Then the clothes, hair, eyes, and lips were painted. We have this information through literary sources, and from the remains of paint and wax found on statues. |
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Pieces found in Nyon indicate that several inhabitants imported sculpture directly from Italy, or had high quality copies of Greek and Roman works made locally. We also know from these sculptures that certain residents were exceptionally wealthy, and that the area became Romanized early and firmly. | |
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Stone working tools have hardly changed through the centuries.
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| Different artistic influences are visible in the pieces found in Nyon. For example, the architectural decoration of the forum is so similar to that found in other cities in the south of Gaul (France), it is thought that workmen from that area must have come to Noviodunum to prepare the stones for the forum | |||
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Heavy stones required a lifting machine to move them about. The stone in the picture above still has a ring in place, so that it could be hooked to the ropes of a crane. |
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A
detail of a hand holding a toga
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A fragment of a statue of a man in a toga, perhaps the Emperor Augustus, was found in the area sacra of the forum. It was carved from marble, in Italy. In the Museum, it is shown with a projection of the missing pieces. |
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A
scrim of a bas-relief used in the exhibition La Pierre en Images.
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This page was updated on 27 June, 2004 by K. Epps
Unless
otherwise mentioned, all photos are by Katharine Epps.
Sauf mention contraire les photos sont de Katharine Epps
nyon@isg-online.org