Tecnica, materia, visione. La scultura romana tra serialità e memoria

That Roman art, and sculpture in particular, depended heavily upon Greek antecedents in matters of subject, style, and iconography, has been common opinion for centuries. This paper focuses on three main points, which illuminate the potential of replicas after famous prototypes as instruments for communication. First, it explores the perception, awareness, and visualization of the techniques and processes involved in the production of sculptural copies. Second, it engages with the value and meaning of artistic materials to the purpose of either tightening the relationship with the prototype or lending the image a different identity. Third, it discusses displays that include two or more versions of the same sculptural type. These perspectives allow to combine the comparative approach at the core of traditional Kopienkritik and consideration of each work of art within its distinctive architectural and cultural context. They address both the vertical (diachronic) relationship between a work of art and its putative model, and the horizontal (synchronic) network of references within the replica series. By means of a small set of case studies, this paper argues for a broader and more inclusive narrative of Roman sculpture, to accommodate self-conscious retrospection, as well as formal and functional innovation.