The Classical World

Elaine and Thurman Gillespy, Jr. Gallery
March 14, 2008 through August 2009

From the Collection of the Tampa Museum of Art

The Classical World is a long-term loan exhibition of 200 plus rare Greek and Roman antiquities from the collection of the Tampa Museum of Art. Recognized as the finest collection of its kind in the southeastern United States, The Classical World surveys the material culture of the Mediterranean area from the Neolithic period to the Roman Imperial period, roughly 8500 BC to 476 AD.

The exhibition illustrates the types of art works characteristic of ancient Greece and Rome: painted pottery; sculpture in marble, bronze, and terra cotta; personal ornaments of bronze and gold; struck silver and gold coins; and a variety of ancient glass vessels as well as other items that illuminate interesting aspects of daily life. These rare and beautiful objects combine to lead the visitor into an intimate vision of the culture, values, and rituals of the classical world, and above all, offer an all-absorbing appreciation of classical civilization and artistic creativity. The Classical World: From the Collection of the Tampa Museum of Art is an expansive display that speaks to everyone, appealing to all senses and tastes by encapsulating history, design and beauty through many different examples of creativity.

Image Credit: 1981.005 Greek, Attic, Black-Figure Column Krater, c. 510 BC, Ceramic, on loan from the Tampa Museum of Art. Museum purchase provided by the Friends of the Arts (FOTA).