Contents and Abstracts

Contents

Ernst-Wilhelm Osthues
Observations on the Doric Corner Conflict >>   

Jens Daehner
Limits to Nudity: Studies of the Naked Male Body in Greek Sculpture of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries B.C. >>

Stefan Ritter
On the Communicative Function of Pompeian Banquet Scenes: The Paintings from the Casa del Triclinio and their Context >>  

Henner von Hesberg
Use and Presentation of Water in the Villa of Domitian at Castel Gandolfo. Fragments of the Fountain Decoration and the Art of Water >>  


Abstracts

Ernst-Wilhelm Osthues, Observations on the Doric Corner Conflict
The corner conflict is the reason why stone buildings of the Doric order with more than three columns or pillars and a triglyph frieze inevitably have irregular dimensions at the corner-intercolumnations. All variants of the problem are treated here, except for re-entrant angles. The factors that cause the problem and influence the degree of irregularity are laid out in the first section. The second section is devoted to the different solutions developed by Greek architects. The variety of solutions, together with the fact that no single solution ever totally superseded the others, demonstrates that the lack of symmetry was regarded as a serious problem by many architects throughout the time period considered here (6th to 1st century B.C.). The last section discusses the consequences of the conflict for the building itself and the planning process. As argued here, the reputed end of the Doric peripteral temple in the Hellenistic period was not caused by the corner conflict or by any other design problem, but, in fact, did not take place.

Keywords: Architecture, Greek – Doric order – corner conflict – planning of architectural construction


Jens Daehner, Limits to Nudity: Studies of the Naked Male Body in Greek Sculpture of the Fifth and Fourth Centuries B.C.
This article deals with the naked male body in Classical Greek sculpture in a series of case studies, including reliefs such as the Parthenon frieze or Attic tombstones, and statuary, such as the »Praxitelean« satyrs. Analyzing these diverse images, their visual contexts and aesthetic concepts, this article argues that over time the parameters for the naked male body became narrower, the use of »nudity« more restricted. In Classical sculpture, male nakedness was not the rule, but a progressively exclusive phenomenon. More than anything else, the body’s age became the decisive anthropological factor as to whether a male figure was depicted naked or clothed. This tendency, which parallels an obsession with youth in fourth-century iconography, suggests that the Greeks were keenly aware of the naked body’s inherent artistic and cultural problems.

Keywords: Athens – Parthenon frieze – grave reliefs, Attic – satyrs – nudity, male


Stefan Ritter, On the Communicative Function of Pompeian Banquet Scenes: The Paintings from the Casa del Triclinio and their Context
The three central paintings from the triclinium of the Casa del Triclinio refer quite clearly to the contemporary particulars of banqueting culture. They emphasize several aspects of the symposium: material and personal extravagance, high social status of the participants, and above all their lively communication reified by expressions painted next to the speakers, which seek to interact with the viewer. A comparison of these paintings with other depictions demonstrates that the Pompeian banquet images cannot be divided into two groups (›ideal symposia of hetairai‹ or ›realistic scenes of daily life‹), but are closely related and differ only in emphasizing different aspects of the same theme. In the paintings of the Casa del Triclinio, the gender relations play only a secondary role, and the primary issue is the pleasures of amicitia between men of the same social status. The unconventional central paintings of the triclinium express the house owner’s desire to present himself as a good host in the realm of the banquet, where social interaction with his amici that produces a sense of social cohesion was the main attraction.

Keywords: Pompeii – wall painting – banquet (symposium) – iconology


Henner von Hesberg, Use and Presentation of Water in the Villa of Domitian at Castel Gandolfo. Fragments of the Fountain Decoration and the Art of Water
An essential component part of the villas within Roman civilization consists in the structure of the otium. During the Imperial period this implied the constant presence of the prodigal use of water. This quality becomes especially clear in the case of the emperors’ villas. The water supply of the villa of Domitian at Castel Gandolfo, for instance, is guaranteed by several water conduits and it is interwoven by a system of distributors and waste water devices. Furthermore different fragments from the terrain of the villa give evidence of a luxurious representation of water consumption, as it becomes obvious in the close succession of differently structured basins and various smaller architectural elements indicating nymphaea. Below the basins different forms may be distinguished, their value being determined by size, material or ornamental decoration, but also by the form of their pedestal and the figures adorning the well. The representation of water works becomes especially clear in the theatre with its different installations that, on the one hand, presented the spectator with central passages and, on the other hand, seen apart from the aesthetic appeal, in the form of water columns and curtains served to cool the air and improve its quality.

Keywords: Castel Gandolfo – Domitian – Imperial villa – luxurious waterworks – Otium