Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art
Chicago (USA) > Dauerausstellung
The recently refreshed Of Gods and Glamour installation in the Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art allows visitors to come face-to-face with rulers, gods, and everyday people from the ancient Mediterranean world in two dynamic new installations showcasing long-term loans and works from the museum’s collection.
Dyes, hot irons, and gels were just as common in the ancient Roman world as they are today. Well-to-do women had servants who would painstakingly style their hair every day into elaborate confections of braids, buns, and curls that kept pace with the ever-changing demands of fashion. The elaborate coiffures of stylish Roman women are one of the subjects of Fashion and Antiquity, a series of text panels throughout the Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art that focus on fabrics, hairstyles, and adornment in the classical era. Fashion and Antiquity is part of a larger museum-wide focus on fashion in conjunction with the exhibition Impressionism, Fashion, and Modernity.
Recently, scholar Janet Stephens, a professional hairstylist and experimental archaeologist, rediscovered important tools in the ancient stylist’s kit that had been forgotten over the centuries — a simple needle and thread. Without recourse to elastic hair bands and hairspray, experts had assumed that the Romans’ gravity-defying hairdos were only possible with wigs. Though such hairpieces have been found in archeological contexts, Stephens, through careful analysis of archival texts and lots of hands-on trial and error, realized that Roman women were able achieve the complicated styles by simply having the hair sewn into place.
Watch this video > to see Stephens recreate the hairstyles of Faustina the Younger.
Textquelle: Museumswebsite
Bildquelle: Museumswebsite
Veranstalter/ Ort
Art Institute Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60603
USA
weitere Infos: www.artic.edu/articles/740/a-new-look-at-faces-from-the-past