The Mask Of Agamemnon

1849 Words8 Pages

The mask of Agamemnon, the bust of Trajan Decius, and the statue of Ekkehard are three ancient pieces that share several key characteristics including their rich history and the importance of the people represented buy these works. On the other hand, however, in terms of the visual aspects and composition each piece varies moderately from the other. The visual, stylistic, historical, and cultural aspects of every art piece is exhibited by each person that the pieces showcase.
The historical content that lies in each of these art pieces is a large part of why they are so valued today. The mask of Agamemnon for example, is among the most recognized gold artifacts of the Greek bronze era (Abramitis,"The Mask of Agamemnon"). The gold mask is a …show more content…

Referring to the mask of Agamemnon, the style is largely influenced by the amount of gold and precious metals that were available to the city of Mycenae. The mask is amongst the most detailed masks of that era (Abramitis, “The mask of Agamemnon”). Abramitis also writes in her article that, “In antiquity, the original mask was most likely raised from a single sheet of gold, just thick enough to hold its form without any waste of the precious metal.” The uniqueness of the mask lies on the miniscule details that are imprinted along the beard, the eyebrow, and the levels of the face. These lines provide the texture for the mask and helps it better represent what Agamemnon would have looked like. In terms of form the mask effectively adds dimensions in the appropriate places. The nose, the cheekbones, the eyes, the lips, and the ears all have the correct depth and elevation to make the mask whole and balanced. With this, the mask of Agamemnon is overall well unified; its texture and form come together along with the gold material to make one stunning …show more content…

The Mask of Agamemnon, the bust Trajan Decius, and the statue of Ekkehard can be compared to one another in that they all have rich historical pretext. Each man portrayed in the art pieces was an essential part of the era they lived in. Furthermore, these men were looked up to by their societies as memorable and having been of great importance because of their accomplishments. The art works are also similar in that they are comprised of many of the same elements and principles of art. Although the bust of Decius and the statue Ekkehard are sculptures and the mask of Agamemnon is not, they still can be compared in terms of texture, form, and unity. Some of the major differences include the amount of detail that went into each piece, the influences surrounding them (for example the statue of Ekkehard was influenced by gothic architecture), and the forms and sizes of every piece. The portions of each art work range from only the face, to the bust, to full body. Over all the three art works share a number of similarities and differences that make them unique to their