Tanagramania

Tanagramania by

Collected, replicated, and widely forged from the 1870s through the 1920s, this exhibition examines the origin and modern reception of the ancient Greek terracotta figures known as "Tanagras."

Featuring ancient and modern artworks, this exhibition catalog explores the archaeological origins and modern collecting craze for ancient Greek "Tanagra" figurines. Discovered in the early 1870s at the site of Tanagra in central Greece, the small-scale terracotta sculptures known as "Tanagras" electrified late nineteenth-century audiences, sparking a collecting craze and igniting the imaginations of writers, artists, designers, and performers. The featured essays explore the ancient contexts of Tanagras, American collectors and collections, technical analysis of the figurines, French artist Jean-Léon Gérôme and Tanagras, and their influence on the Italian fashion designer Rosa Genoni.