Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Greek & Roman Art
The 27 galleries devoted to classical antiquity are another Met doozy, some of which are
dramatically illuminated by natural daylight. Among the extraordinary objects is a pair of
late 7th-century-BC bronze helmets from Crete (Gallery 152), one of them adorned with
repoussé
winged youths and panthers, the other with horses and lions. Further along,
Gallery 159 houses beautiful examples of ancient Greek pottery. Especially interesting are
the white-ground funerary vases, in which the deceased and mourners are depicted on a
distinctive white background. From the Great Hall, a passageway takes viewers through a
barrel-vaulted room flanked by the chiseled torsos of Greek figures. This spills right into
one of the Met's loveliest spaces: the airy Roman sculpture court (Gallery 162), full of
marble carvings of gods and historical figures. The statue of a bearded Hercules from AD
68-98 is particularly awe-inspiring.
