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Age, disfigurement, ugliness in ancient art
#1
I saw a documentary that claimed that this 1490 painting by Domenico Ghirlandaio was the first time that "ugliness" was portrayed in art.
[Image: image_58659_v2_m56577569830598048.jpg]
I was dubious and expected there was something, somewhere, in ancient art that depicted a less-flattering physical portrayal, but in all honesty I can't find anything. The best I could think of was theatre masks.
[Image: 11845849904qCJ86.jpg]
Does anyone know of any examples?
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
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#2
There are several Roman busts that portray old age in a very verite way. Not ugliness, particularly, but certainly not the bloom of perfect youth.

This famous old gent, for example:

[Image: q4519235.jpg]

Or this one:

[Image: q8094963.jpg]

And there's a bronze bust of Trajan from Ankara that allegedly shows him in the grip of his final fatal illness (although this could be inference):

[Image: 5059525034_198bbda048.jpg]

- Nathan
Nathan Ross
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#3
There's always Hellenistic art. There are many instances of people portrayed in a truthful way just a Nathan explained.

The most famous one I can think of is the Boxer. He's got scars, cauliflower ear, a broken nose.


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Michael Griffin
High School Teacher who knows Latin & Greek
felicior quam sus in stercu
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#4
Aha! Thanks; I figured it could be found somewhere.

I had originally thought of The Dying Gaul, but even the wound on his side is tiny. That's not much of a "disfigurement" when the statue is viewed as a whole.

[Image: 737px-Dying_gaul.jpg]
David J. Cord
www.davidcord.com
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#5
There is a difference in Roman and Greek statues. Roman statues were generally more inclined to show real people, not stylized and gritty and ugly at times. There is a bronze statue of an underfed elderly man in the Louvre but I dont have the photo at the moment.

Here is a pic of a drunk old woman :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29315961@N03/3164879429/

an old man :

[Image: 060905-150154%20Roman%20Statue%20of%20an...elabra.jpg]

And the old fisherman :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rachie5/204...hotostream
Bushido wa watashi no shuukyou de gozaru.

Katte Kabuto no O wo shimeyo!

H.J.Vrielink.
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#6
How about this bronze Hellenistic grotesque in the Met, or this Assyrian statuette of the demom Pazuzu, or some of the busts of Socrates?
Nullis in verba

I have not checked this forum frequently since 2013, but I hope that these old posts have some value. I now have a blog on books, swords, and the curious things humans do with them.
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#7
Sometimes I wonder if they were just bad artists :-? :lol:
Samuel J.
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