The Lyre as a Symbol: Deciphering 59 Masterpieces of Art
49.00 €
“The Lyre as a Symbol embarks on an enchanting journey through pivotal moments in portraying this unique instrument in paintings.” — Stella Kourmpana, Head of the Athens Conservatoire Historical Archives
“A collection of artistic masterpieces that demonstrate how the lyre inspired artists throughout the ages. The symbolism detectable in each painting makes us aware of how ancient myths that are intertwined with the instrument and how the ideas they express were transformed throughout three and a half millennia to embrace not just music but all the arts and human culture in general.” — Armand D’Angour, Professor of Classical Languages and Literature, Faculty of Classics, University of Oxford
“This entire iconographic corpus facilitates our understanding of the symbolic power of the lyre in Western paintings.” — Zdravko Blažeković, Director of the Research Center for Music Iconography, The Graduate Center, City University of New York
From the instrument of gods and heroes to the hands of poets and singers, the lyre gradually became a symbol so powerful that her journey through history has no equal.
It is this journey that The Lyre as a Symbol traces, from the ancient world to the Renaissance and into the 20th century, through the eyes of painters and artists of all disciplines and movements, from the masters of the High Renaissance and the realism of the Neoclassicists to the illusions of the Symbolists.
The book features an impressive collection of 59 representative masterpieces depicting the lyre while shedding light on the artist’s intentions and symbolic thought and trying to decipher the cultural and artistic background of each time.
Through its pages, we witness the lyre’s many roles and forms as she transcended her material nature to become, in the hands of artists, the symbol of an entire civilization and a direct connection to the divine that lies in all of us.
_Credits
Nikolaos Koumartzis, D.Phil. (editor-in-chief)
Fotis Giantsios, M.Litt. (research director)
Michael J. Griffin, D.Phil. (scholarly advisor)
Zdravko Blažeković, Ph.D. (foreword)
Stella Kourmpana, Ph.D. (foreword)
_Publication ID
Hardcover Premium Edition
Dimensions: 24,5 x 34 cm
Pages: 176
Color: Full color
Paper: Art paper
49.00 €
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Explore the Lyre Mythos.
Discover Lyre's Glorious Past.
^ In Classical Greece, it was expected from all Greeks to know how to play the lyre, as it was expected even from the greatest of their heroes (there are recounts of Achilles being a great lyre player and Alexander the Great being instructed on the lyre). In James Barry's painting titled "The Education of Achilles," we see Achilles being guided by the centaur Cheiron (oil on canvas, Yale Center for British Art).
< In Classical Greece, it was expected from all Greeks to know how to play the lyre, as it was expected even from the greatest of their heroes (there are recounts of Achilles being a great lyre player and Alexander the Great being instructed on the lyre). In James Barry's painting titled "The Education of Achilles," we see Achilles being guided by the centaur Cheiron (oil on canvas, Yale Center for British Art).
Welcome to a brand-new book series titled Lyre Mythos, a SEIKILO original. It is a multifaceted project, mindfully assembled by a team of skillful authors and scholars, all closely affiliated with the worldwide lyre community.
Our goal is to introduce the mythos of the lyre to a more general audience, exploring the celebrated past of this unique ancient musical instrument through history, arts, literature, and mythology.
Why was it so important to be linked to the lyre in the ancient world? Why, centuries later, were medieval warlords, usually completely uneducated in music, buried alongside this particular instrument? Why did the Old Testament put the lyre in King David’s hands? And why did Ludwig Van Beethoven, the great composer and pianist, want to be portrayed holding one in his 19th-century portrait?
These are some of the unexpected but utterly thrilling questions we will search for an answer to. The truth about to be revealed will lead us to new but equally exciting inquiries.
References
Koumartzis, N. (2024). Introduction: The Lyre's Transcendence in The Lyre as a Symbol artbook. Thessaloniki: SEIKILO Books.
Koumartzis, N. (2024). Introduction: In search of the Song of the Lyre in The Song of the Lyre anthology. Thessaloniki: SEIKILO Books.
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We use state-of-the-art printing technologies for our premium publications, considering deeply our impact on the environment. This is why we only use carbon-neutral processes and exclusively FSC-certified paper made of responsibly sourced wood fiber.
Help us dive deeper
Help us dive deeper
Rest assured that your order finances the research needed for the next installment of the Lyre Mythos series so we can dive deeper and bring you the next valuable insight into the rich lyre mythos.
Premium publication
We use state-of-the-art printing technologies for our premium publications, considering deeply our impact on the environment. This is why we only use carbon-neutral processes and exclusively FSC-certified paper made of responsibly sourced wood fiber.
Delivery
The Lyre as a Symbol: Deciphering 59 Masterpieces of Art
49.00 €
