February 4, 2016 – Hixenbaugh Ancient Art (New York, USA) currently shows their gallery exhibition, “ART of WAR.” The exhibition brings together an unprecedented accumulation of weapons and armor from ancient Greece. “ART of WAR” features over a dozen bronze helmets, breastplates, and other pieces of armor.
Ancient Greece was pervaded by militarism
Great civilizations from the dawn of humanity were often born out of advancements in military technology. Ancient Greece was no exception. Militarism pervaded every aspect of Greek society from the Bronze Age until the rise of Rome.
An ancient Greek bronze helmet of the Corinthian type, with curvilinear eye holes that taper to a point, a wide nose guard, broad cheek pieces that leave a vertical opening for the mouth, and a border that has been drilled with holes to secure an interior lining. Traces of the original crest are evident in the patina.
Competing Greek city-states engaged in an arms race whereby each fielded increasingly well-equipped troops in a continuous series of disputes over land and resources. This relentless fighting between competing city-states led to technological innovations which by the time of the Persian invasions of the early 5th BC demonstrated the unrivaled military dominance that the Greeks had achieved in terms of weapons, armor, strategy and tactics. For hundreds of years the Greek phalanx was superior to all other armies. This tradition was eventually passed on to Alexander the Great and ultimately to the Romans.
Three Corinthian helmets.
Great variety of helmets
“ART of WAR” features a variety of Greek helmet types including the austere Illyrian, elegant Chalcidian and iconic Corinthian types. One Pilos helmet in the exhibition is decorated with large imposing horns.
A Greek Bronze Muscled Cuirass and a Samnite Bronze Triple Disk Cuirass.
A breast plate with extravagantly sculptured musculature illustrates the artistry of the ancient Greek armor smith. Many fine spears and blades convey the reality of ancient combat. These objects are the only remaining physical links to the citizen soldiers (hoplites) who created and defended the ancient Greek way of life to which the modern western world is so deeply indebted.
Forthcoming monography on Greek arms
Gallery Director, Randall Hixenbaugh, is especially passionate about Greek arms and armor.
A Corinthian helmet, a Pilos Helmet and a Celtic sword.
He has conducted considerable research in the area of Greek arms and armor, amassing a database of over 2,000 known helmets which will be published in 2016. “ART of WAR” provides one with a rare opportunity to view and acquire a large number of fine quality ancient pieces of arms and armor, some of which have not been on the market for decades.
Hixenbaugh Ancient Art’s exhibition “ART of WAR” runs through February 27th (11am to 6pm, Tuesday to Saturday). As always, a large collection of fine quality authentic antiquities can be viewed on the Hixenbaugh Ancient Art web site.