Munich, Glyptothek

The Glyptothek, or statue museum, in Munich is the most beautiful collection of sculpture north of the Alps. Period. Founded by crown prince Ludwig I, who also commissioned the Regensburg Walhalla, the beautiful Befreiungshalle in Kelheim, and several other buildings in classical style, it became one of the most important nineteenth-century art museums in the world. Ludwig’s agents had lots of money to spend, and bought the famous Sleeping Satyr and the Aphaia reliefs from Aegina. The latter put the museum in the same rank as the Vatican (Laocoon), the British Museum (Elgin Marbles), and Louvre (Venus of Milo).

It is hard to say which statues are the best-known: is it the lovely bust of Homer or the portrait of Augustus? Is it the gladiator relief or the tombstone of Mnesarete? The statue of the dying Niobid or the sarcophagus with the dying Niobids? The Munich Kouros or the Rondanini Alexander? The gorgeous Julia Domna or the Drunken Woman? The so-called Sulla or the so-called Marius? Irene or the boy with goose? You will not find the answer. I spend four hours over there last week, making about 700 photos, which I added to about 450 photos made during an earlier visit.

This museum was visited in a/o 2009.

39 pictures related to this museum

Apollodorus of Damascus	Portrait of a Roman, c.190-210 CE	A young Faustina II	Portrait of a Roman man c.200-220 CE
Cyzicus-Panderma, Tomb of Demetrius	Plotina	Berenice II	Roman man c.170-190 CE
Copy of Lysippus' Alexander	Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, West pediment, Trojan War	Portrait of a Roman man, c. 400 CE	Alexander after Chaeronea ("Rondanini Alexander"). Part of a triumphal statue of king Philip
Roman, first quarter of the first century CE	Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, West pediment, Trojan War	Diomedes. Copy of a statue by Cresilas	Homer. Glyptothek, München (Germany)
Aeon ("eternity") on a mosaic from Sentinum. The hoop is decorated with the signs of the Zodiac (in the wrong order). The woman is Fertility, together with her four children: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and winter.	Gladiator relief	Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, East pediment, Laomedon's expedition to Troy, Heracles	Portrait of a Roman, first half sixth century
Herm with the portrait of Demosthenes	Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, West pediment, Trojan War	Niobe, mourning	The Rondanini Alexander
Arcadius	Portait of a Roman man, third quarter of the second century CE	Sarcophagus of the Niobids	Trajan
Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, East pediment, Laomedon's expedition to Troy	Berenice II	So-called Sulla	The so-called Marius
Corinth, Statuette of Zeus, Archaic	Nero	Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, East pediment, Laomedon's expedition to Troy	Lucius Verus
Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, West pediment, Trojan War	Aegina, Temple of Aphaea, East pediment, Laomedon's expedition to Troy	A headless Livia, almost dressed like a senator