Mythological statuary in late antiquity: A case study of villa decoration in southwest Gaul.

Abstract

The production and appreciation of classicizing mythological statuary in marble in late antiquity has only recently been recognized. This study focuses on a series of late mythological statuettes found in the villas of southwest Gaul in order to examine the style, chronology, origins, iconography, and use in context of this genre of statuary. Carved from non-Gallic marble, and with close stylistic links to statuary found all across the Roman empire, the mythological statuettes found in Gaul have both a Gallic and a Mediterranean setting, settings which overlap. In their Gallic context, the statuettes were one element within sculptural collections displayed in the lavishly decorated vestibules, triclinia, reception rooms, and baths of villas. The extent of sculptural collecting in Gaul of all periods has not been previously recognized, but this study shows that over generations Gallic aristocrats assembled collections comprising a wide range of genres, sizes, dates, and materials. Stylistic comparisons show that the particular facial features, stocky proportions, complex strutwork, and base moulding of the late mythological statuettes date to the late fourth and early fifth centuries A.D. Their stylistic traits and imported white marble suggest that they originated in Asia Minor or in the workshops of Asian sculptors working abroad, perhaps in Rome. Either regular trade routes or purchase by Gallic aristocrats travelling abroad could account for their appearance in Gaul. Iconographically, Venus, Dionysus, and various hunters predominate within the broad repertoire of subjects represented by the statuettes. This concentration is paralleled in other visual media as well as the scholarly, retrospective repertoire of contemporary poetry. The classics-based education system fostered a knowledge and appreciation of mythology and a set of values which made late fourth-century Gallic aristocrats, pagan and Christian alike, receptive to late mythological statuettes.