European Bronzes in the Royal Ontario Museum

David W. Rupp is a professor in the Classics Department, Brock
University.

The bronze statuettes and objects presented in this catalogue raisonné represent the crème de la crème of the holdings of this genre by the European Department of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. The collection spans a millennium and a half from the Late Roman/Byzantine period through the twentieth centuries. While the author admits that the collection as a whole is not balanced, with “little medieval material... [or only a] few examples from the 19th and the 20th centuries” (p. xi), it does provide one with a suitable overview of this genre. Furthermore, the statuettes and objects were acquired with a specific aim in mind, which was to stir the viewers’ emotions. While this goal is not always achieved, most of the objects are captivating.

The catalogue contains 107 bronze statuettes, medals, or objects, divided into four large chronological/stylistic groups: 1) Late Roman, Byzantine, Medieval; 2) Renaissance, Mannerist; 3) Baroque Rococo, Neoclassical; and 4) nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Each of these groupings is preceded by a brief survey of the basic historical, artistic, stylistic, and technological trends related to the catalogue entries that follow. Each entry contains the usual information about the object in question, a black-and-white photograph (and where necessary additional detailed photographs), and an erudite but succinct discussion of the object’s identification, date, and iconography, as well as comparanda to support these observations. In addition, nine of the statuettes and objects arc reproduced in color. The roots of European art in Greco-Roman artistic conventions, styles, and iconography can be clearly seen in many of these miniature masterpieces. The catalogue is handsomely produced and the photographs are of high quality. However, considering the thinness of the volume, the price is somewhat dear. This catalogue is not intended for the uninitiated in European art but rather for the art historian or knowledgeable collector, as it presupposes a broad art historical background and a scholarly bent. Nonetheless, after reading the lucid text and seeing the excellent photographs one is compelled to go to the ROM to see them first hand.