Greco-Roman Classics

I recently toured the small, sophisticated and ecumenical collection of ancient Greek and Roman art that is the Classics gallery at the DUMA. The exhibit opened last week and is curated by senior Bobby Jones. Ranging from the early Iron age (1000-700 B.C.) to third-century Roman art, most of the pieces on display in the Classics collection are pottery in the form of drinking cups, amphorae and religious oil containers (lekythoi). A good portion of the gallery, as well, has bits of statuary and terra cotta figures from all over the ancient world--a great one in particular is a drunken Bacchus helped along by one of his followers, no doubt crapulent himself. Smack dab in the middle of the gallery sits the showpiece of the collection, a giant crater (a vessel used to mix water and wine--the Greeks never drank their wine pure) painted by Polygnotos, a famous and successful pottery painter--this pot is worth well over a million dollars. From the fifth century B.C., the crater depicts Triptolemus, Persephone and her mother Demeter preparing to grant the knowledge of agriculture to humanity. The opposite side of the pot, no less interesting, shows three Athenian youths, epitomizing the Athenian cultural ideals of the period: music and athletics. In addition to these, there is a charming collection of little trinkets and odd figures, such as a little bronze vignette of Odysseus returning to his wife, Penelope--neither of whom look like they've been entirely faithful.

Though it is small, there is much to see and absorb in the Classics collection and, visiting it, I learned that the ancients lived life, sans planes, trains and automobiles, much like us--their art echoed their lives. Whether somber, playful or violent, it was a mirror in which they could see themselves and, two thousand years later, a looking-glass just as much to the ancients as it is to ourselves.