Displaying Roman Sculpture: How to Change Museum Displays to Better Educate Viewers on Sculpture Uses

Robertson, Megan

Undergraduate Honors Thesis

Displaying Roman Sculpture: How to Change Museum Displays to Better Educate Viewers on Sculpture Uses Public Deposited

Analytics

Download PDF

Citations

Citeable URL: https://scholar.colorado.edu/concern/undergraduate_honors_theses/5138jg590

Abstract

This thesis examines four Roman sculpture types and their current installations in museums. Museums are educational institutions, and a main tool for education is the artifact label. Labels assume visitors are reading. If this is the only form of information, there is a chance not everyone is learning. How can visuals be added to museum installation for better education? Roman sculpture served a purpose. But these are often missed in museum displays. The sculptures discussed are the cult statue of the Mithras cult in the British Museum, the Hadrianeum reliefs displayed in both the Capitoline Museums in Rome and the National Archaeological Museum of Naples, a lar statue in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Palmyrene reliefs in the University of Pennsylvania’s Museum of Archaeology. The goal of this thesis is to determine new installations for the sculptures that can better educate the visitors on the contexts and purposes of each sculpture. Roman sculpture served a purpose, and museum visitors should be aware of this. The background of each sculpture is discussed to educate readers on the necessary information. The sculpture should be understood in order to know why the display is changed. After learning about the sculpture and its possible contexts, the specific sculpture will be introduced and its current display. Then, a new display is proposed. The new displays reflect the original contexts of each sculpture. This thesis proposes new museum displays that better a visitor’s learning by adding visuals along with information provided in an artifact label.

Creator