Marble seated harp player

Marble seated harp player

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This figure of a seated man playing a harp is among the earliest of the few known Cycladic representations of musicians. With its balanced proportions and engaging sense of movement, it is one of the most accomplished examples. The artist used the limited tools available with great technical skill. The harp’s extremely delicate arch was achieved by gently grinding down the stone with natural abrasives such as sand, pumice, and emery.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.