Costumes of the Greeks and Romans by Thomas Hope

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Costumes of the Greeks and Romans by Thomas Hope

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Costumes of the Greeks and Romans by Thomas Hope

From headdresses to sandals, from warrior's armor to priestess's robes, the authentic costumes of people from all walks of life in the Roman and Greek civilizations are here pictured comprehensively and clearly. Three hundred finely drawn, detailed engravings (containing over 700 illustrations) show just what was worn by the poets, philosophers, priests and priestesses, peasants, Bacchanalians, emperors, generals, Amazons, and virgins of a bygone age.
Carefully copied from ancient vases and statuary by Thomas Hope (1770-1831), a British collector and designer, these engravings combine an unusual clarity of style with unquestioned authenticity. Their range, too, is unusually great, for besides the many plates on the costumes of the Greeks and Romans, there are representative illustrations of the typical dress of such other civilizations as the Phrygian, Egyptian, Parthian, Etruscan, and Persian.
In addition, scores of engravings are devoted to such now-forgotten objects as ancient musical instruments (the lyre, double flute, pipes of Pan, etc.), Bacchanalian implements, articles of furniture, women's trinkets and jewelry, sarcophagi, altars, and other adjuncts to ancient life.
Such comprehensiveness makes this book indispensable to costume designers, stage fitters, and producers of classic plays, students of fashion design, and others interested in ancient costumes. The material included here is covered in no ordinary history, and only here can the interested reader discover just how the draping of the Greek robe was achieved, or what was worn at festivals and funerals by the various classes.
Art directors, advertising managers, and others on the lookout for unusual and eye-catching illustrations will also treasure this collection. All of the engravings are royalty free and may be used in any way, whether as striking contrasts to modern styles in dress, jewelry, or furniture; for historical perspective; for mood pieces; or simply as unusual attention-getters.

Thomas Hope (1769-1831) was descended from a family of Scottish bankers who resided in Holland. When hostile French Revolutionary troops occupied Amsterdam in 1795, the wealthy mercantile aristrocrats relocated to London. Rather than enter the family business, this free-thinking young man of the Enlightenment used his enormous wealth to finance an eight year journey across Europe, Asia Minor and Africa. Neither missionary nor imperialist, rather an insightful traveller wise beyond his years, the cultural explorer initially recorded his impressions in more than 300 museum quality drawings. Upon returning to England, fate appeared to have defined Hopes life in a conventional, if gently artistic manner. He had married the daughter of a respected clergyman, fathered four sons, established a London home full of artistic treasures, authored celebrated works on costume and furniture and was, to all appearances, admired and respectable. Then his repressed soul reawakened with a furious and mysterious literary shout. In 1817 Hope began work on a book, Anastasius, that was destined to astonish the West by lifting the curtain of ignorance which had encouraged enmity against the East. Yet this was no mere retracing of his earlier travels. In an unexpected move, Hope created an extraordinary narrator-hero who strode upon the stage and commanded the worlds attention. Ultimately described as one of the great books of the world, Hopes Magnum Opus influenced Thackeray, Twain and Melville before falling into an undeserved obscurity. Excerpt from Anastasius - Copyright (c) 2008. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780486200217
ISBN 10 0486200213
Title Costumes of the Greeks and Romans
Author Thomas Hope
Series Dover Fashion And Costumes
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Dover Publications Inc.
Year published 2003-03-28
Number of pages 300
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.