This survey, which centres mainly on Greek sculpture and vase-painting from 600 to 300 BC, examines research over the past twenty years. Organised chronologically in terms of media (free-standing sculpture, architectural sculpture, luxury items, ceramics), the chapters discuss polychromy, the ethics of collecting and the relationship between scenes of myth and everyday life. Attention is also paid to new approaches that question the concept of 'art' in Classical Greece (what is known as the 'paradigm shift') in which the purposes, contexts and effect of material culture are given greater prominence. To summarise recent research, the author adopts a balance between a broad treatment and detailed description. The text and images (fifty in number and mainly in colour) will be particularly useful to students and teachers but will have a wider appeal.
