Although scholars have emphasized the importance of isolating the objective evaluation of evidence from interpretation, in practice, it has proved difficult to determine the distinction. This study examines the scholarship on description for a select number of well-known Greek statues from the eighteenth-century through the present. The impact of the historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts of this specialized scholarship is demonstrated through considerations of issues such as ethnicity, psychology, theories about artistic form, and evolving conceptions of nude and clothed figures.

This book explores the historiography of ancient Near Eastern and Classical art by examining the social, intellectual and institutional contexts that have influenced the way that the history of ancient art is written. It demonstrates how the study and interpretation of ancient art reflect contemporary ideas and practices from the Renaissance to the present. Among the subjects considered are the classical tradition in the post-antique West; the emergence of academic disciplines; the role of museums in the evaluation of ancient art; and issues of race, gender and cultural authority in the...