The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art: Terracottas

The Cesnola Collection of antiquities was assembled on Cyprus in the 1860s and 1870s by Luigi Palma di Cesnola, who sold it to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1872. Cesnola subsequently served as the institution’s first director. Numbering around 6,000 objects, the collection documents the artistic traditions and creativity of the island from prehistoric through Roman times. The publication focuses on terracottas: 424 pieces that date from about 2000 B.C. to the 2nd century A.D. Each object is accompanied by a catalogue entry with description, bibliography, and illustration. There are also fifteen commentaries and a glossary, chronology, and maps that introduce the colorful world of ancient life and mythology to an interested public while providing an invaluable tool to students and archaeologists. Vassos Karageorghis is associated with the Anastasios G. Leventis Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus, the world’s foremost authority on Cypriot art; Gloria S. Merker is an expert on terracottas; and Joan R. Mertens is curator in the Greek and Roman Department, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.