Dangerous perfection
Subtitle: ancient funerary vases from southern Italy
By: Ursula Kästner and David Saunders, editors ; with contributions by Ludmila Akimova, Marie Dufkova, Andrea Milanese, Elena Minina, Sonja Radujkovic, Dunja Rütt, Priska Schilling-Colden, Marie Svoboda, Mark Weir, Bernd Zimmermann
Contributors: Gargiulo, Raffaele; J. Paul Getty Museum; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin--Preussischer Kulturbesitz. Antikensammlung
Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum
Published: 2016
Place of publication: Los Angeles
Language: eng
Number of pages: 216
ISBN-13: 9781606064764
Copyright date: 2016
Subjects: Apulian Vases; Art collections; Conservation and restoration; Ancient Vases; Exhibitions
Description: In 2008, the Berlin Antikensammlung initiated a project with the J. Paul Getty Museum to conserve a group of ancient funerary vases from southern Italy. Monumental in scale and richly decorated, these magnificent vessels were discovered in hundreds of fragments in the early nineteenth century at Ceglie, near Bari. Acquired by a Bohemian diplomat, they were reconstructed in the Neapolitan workshop of Raffaele Gargiulo, who was considered one of the leading restorers of antiquities in Europe. His methods exemplify what was referred to as "une perfection dangereuse," an approach to reassembly and repainting that made it difficult to distinguish what was ancient and what was modern. Bringing together archival documentation and technical analyses, this volume provides a comprehensive study of the vases and their treatment from the nineteenth century up to today. In addition to lavish illustrations, two in-depth essays on the history of the vases and on Gargiulo's work, as well as detailed conservation notes for each object, this publication also features the first English translation of Gargiulo's original text on his understanding as to how ancient Greek vases were manufactured. This is the companion volume to an exhibition on view at the Getty Villa, from November 19, 2014, to May 11, 2015, and then at the Antikensammlung, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin from June 17, 2015, to June 18, 2017.
Notes: "This publication is issued on the occasion of the exhibition Dangerous Perfection: Funerary Vases from Southern Italy, on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa in Malibu, from November 19, 2014 to May 11, 2015, and at the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Antikensammlung, from June 16 to June 18, 2017."

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: The history of the Ceglie vases / Marie Dufková and Ursula Kästner; title: Exactitude and mastery: Raffaele Gargiulo's work as a restorer / David Saunders, Marie Svoboda, and Andrea Milanese; title: Raffaele Gargiulo's observations: the contribution of a dealer and restorer to the understanding of Greek pottery / Andrea Milanese; title: Observations on how Italo-Greek ceramic vases are found, on their manufacture, on the most distinguished workshops, and on the development and decline of the art of vase making (second edition, 1843) / Raffaele Gargiulo (translated by Mark Weir).