Glyptothek | |
 The Glyptothek inMunich | |
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| Location | Munich, Germany |
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| Coordinates | 48°08′47″N11°33′57″E / 48.14639°N 11.56583°E /48.14639; 11.56583 |
| Type | Art museum |
| Website | www |
TheGlyptothek (German:[ɡlʏptoˈteːk]ⓘ) is a museum inMunich,Germany, which was commissioned by theBavarian KingLudwig I to house his collection ofGreek andRomansculptures (hence γλυπτο-glypto- "sculpture", from the Greek verb γλύφεινglyphein "to carve" and the noun θήκη "container"). It was designed byLeo von Klenze in theneoclassical style, and built from 1816 to 1830. Today the museum is a part of theKunstareal.
The Glyptothek was commissioned by the Crown Prince (later King) Ludwig I of Bavaria alongside other projects, such as the neighboringKönigsplatz and the building which houses theState Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities, as a monument toancient Greece. He envisioned a "German Athens", in which the ancient Greek culture would be remembered; he had this built in front of the gates of Munich. The Glyptothek is Munich's oldest public museum.
The layout of the Königsplatz complex was designed by the architectsKarl von Fischer andLeo von Klenze in 1815, the latter arranged it in the style of a forum, with the Glyptothek on the north side. Colorful frescoes and stuccos made by distinguished artists such asPeter von Cornelius,Clemens von Zimmermann, andWilhelm von Kaulbach adorned the walls of the museum.
In the few years between 1806 and the opening of the museum in 1830, Ludwig completed a notable collection of Greek and Roman sculpture. Through his agents, he managed to acquire such pieces as theMedusa Rondanini, theBarberini Faun, and, in 1813, the figures from the Aphaea temple onAegina.
TheSecond World War did not destroy much of the artwork in the Glyptothek; but thefrescoes did not survive and only lightly plastered bricks were visible after the museum was reopened in 1972. Since the Assyrian Hall erected in the inner court by Klenze in 1864 was not rebuilt, theAssyrian Orthostat reliefs from the palace of kingAshur-nasir-pal II and a lion from theIshtar Gate ofBabylon were moved into theStaatliche Sammlung für Ägyptische Kunst.
From October 2018 until January 2021 the Glyptothek was closed due to renovation works. The reopening was scheduled for January 27, 2021. The work on the second construction phase included the exterior of the Glyptothek and continued until the summer of 2021 while the museum was still open.[1]
The museum was designed in the Classical Greek - Italian style. The portico isIonic, and the outer walls containniches, in which 18 original Roman and Greek sculptures stand, six on each wall (except the back). The thirteen rectangular, square or round rooms are arranged around a courtyard, thevestibule in the central building dominates the halls of height. In front of the vestibule is the portico of twelve Ionic columns. The overlyinggable includes a group ofJohann Martin von Wagner. It representsAthena as protector of the plastic arts. The exterior walls are adorned with sculptures in niches, while the windows are open to the interior courtyard. The sculptures represent mythical or historical representatives of the arts, these are in the front of the KönigsplatzDaedalus,Prometheus,Hadrian,Pericles,Phidias andHephaestus. On the western and eastern side of the building there are sculptors of the Renaissance and of the times when the Glyptothek was built, includingBertel Thorvaldsen andAntonio Canova, whose works were once on display earlier in the Hall of the Glyptothek but were later moved to theNeue Pinakothek.
The museum was originally built completely out of marble. However, duringWorld War II the museum was bombed, and later reconstructed. The walls from the interior are composed of red brick and painted with a light plaster. The interior has domed vaulting.
The Glyptothek contains sculptures dating from the archaic age (c. 650 BC) to the Roman era (c. 550 AD). Other notable sculptures, mosaics and reliefs can also be found here. This collection is complemented by the terracotta and bronze collections in theStaatliche Antikensammlung (State Collection of Greek and Roman Antiquities), which is located opposite the Glyptothek.
Among the most famous sculptures coveringArchaic Greece are theMunich Kouros (statue of an adolescent from Attica, c. 540 BC), theKouros of Tenea (statue of an adolescent from Corinth, c. 560 BC) and thetemple figures from Aegina (510-480 BC). Of the latter, there are in fact two sets of similar sculptures at the Glyptothek. As archeologists excavated the site at Aegina, these two sets were discovered, and it was later theorized that the original temple was destroyed during thePeloponnesian War and another temple was erected shortly after in its place. The extant temple of c. 500 BC was built over the remains of an earlier temple of c. 570 BC, which was destroyed by fire c. 510 BC. The elements of this destroyed temple were buried in the infill for the larger, flat terrace of the later temple, and are thus well preserved.
To the most famous sculptures ofClassical Greece belong theportrait ofHomer (460 BC), the so-calledMunich King (460 BC), who probably representedHephaestus, theStatue of Diomedes (430 BC), theMedusa Rondanini (440 BC), theFuneral stele of Mnesarete (380 BC), theStatue of Eirene (370 BC), thegrave relief of a youth with his hunting dog (360 BC), a portrait ofPlato (348 BC), theAlexander Rondanini (c. 338 BC) and theIlioneus (c. 320 BC).
The most famous sculpture representing theHellenistic period is theBarberini Faun (220 BC).Among the famous Roman copies of Greek sculptures are theBoy with the Goose (c. 250 BC) and theDrunken Woman (attributed toMyron of Thebes; c. 200 BC). The marble portrait ofAlexander the Great (Alexander Schwarzenberg), with which the Hellenistic period began, dates from c. 330 BC.
The Glyptothek keeps a large collection of Romanbusts, among the most famous ones are the busts ofGaius Marius andSulla (c. 40 BC), the EmperorsAugustus (c. 40 AD),Nero (65 AD),Septimius Severus (200 AD) and his wifeJulia Domna (195 AD). A heroised statue portraysDomitian as prince (70/80 AD). With the support of the cultural foundations of the German states, the Glyptothek was able to acquire in 2017 a bust ofCaligula (c. 40 AD), excavated in Córdoba in 1937. The Emperor, like the Munich portrait of his ancestor Augustus (Augustus Bevilacqua), bears thecorona civica. As a head ofTiberius has long been in the Glyptothek and a head ofClaudius (Claudius Jucker) was donated in 2012, the Glyptothek owns portraits of all five emperors of theJulio-Claudian dynasty. To the major attractions belong also a colossal statue ofApollo (1st/2nd centuries AD) from a Roman villa in Tuscany, several Roman sarcophagus reliefs and mosaic floors. The marble statue ofArtemis as mistress of the animals dates from 50 AD. An imitation of the classical style is the Roman head of a youth in bronze (ca Christ's birth). The Roman period is also represented by severalreliefs (Relief of gladiators, 1st century BC) andmosaics (Aion mosaic, c. 200–250 AD).
Kunstareal district inMunich | ||
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