Nationalism and Classicism: The Classical Body As National Symbol in Nineteenth-Century England and France

301 Pages·1998·30.193 MB·English

by  Athena S. Leoussi

NATIONALISM AND CLASSICISM

Nationalism and
Classicism
The Classical Body as National Symbol in
Nineteenth-Century England and France
Athena S. Leoussi
Lecturer in Sociology
University of Reading
ffi
m
First published in Great Britain 1998 by
MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London
Companies and representatives throughout the world
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 0-333-69149-0
ffi First published in the United States of America 1998 by
ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC.,
Scholarly and Reference Division,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
ISBN 0-312-17776-3
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Leoussi, Athena S., 1959-
Nationalism and classicism : the classical body as national symbol
in nineteenth-century England and France / Athena S. Leoussi.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-312-17776-3 (cloth)
1. Neoclassicism (Art)—England. 2. Nationalism and art—England-
-History—19th century. 3. Neoclassicism (Art)—France.
4. Nationalism and art—France—History—19th century.
5. Mythology, Greek, in art. 6. Art, Greek—Influence.
7. Allegories. I. Title.
N6767.5.N45L46 1998
709'.42*09034—dc21 97-18289
CIP
© Athena S. Leoussi 1998
All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made
without written permission.
No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with
written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by
the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1P 9HE.
Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to
criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
The author has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance
with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and
sustained forest sources.
10 9 8 7 6 5 43 2 1
07 06 05 04 03 02 01 00 99 98
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire
For my parents, Elizabeth and Sotirios Leoussis, and
in memoriam Doula Mouriki

Contents
List of Tables viii
List of Graphs x
List of Plates xi
Foreword by Anthony D. Smith xiv
Acknowledgements xvi
Introduction xviii
PART I Physical Anthropology and Ethnographic Art 1
1 Physical Anthropology and the Greek Ideal 3
2 Positivism and Realist Aesthetics 25
3 The Making of the Artist-Anthropologist 35
4 Hellenism and Ethnographic Art 56
PART II Physical Anthropology, Religion and Nationalism 85
5 The Greek Body and Christian Thought 87
6 The National Significance of Physical Anthropology 108
PART III The Classical Revival in English and French Art 131
7 Images of Greeks as Images of God 133
8 Images of Greece as Images of England 157
9 Images of Greece as Images of France 180
Conclusion 200
Notes 203
Bibliography 242
Index 253
vn
List of Tables
4.1 List of sample years, 1833-80 64
4.2 Works of art exhibited in the Salon in absolute numbers,
1833-80 65
4.3 Works on foreign subjects in the Salon in numbers and
percentages in selected years, 1833-80 65
4.4 National categories in the Salon and their scores
in selected years, 1833-80 66
4.5 Works on European and non-European subjects in the Salon
in selected years, in numbers and percentages, 1833-80 67
4.6 Annual rates of the major national categories in the Salon
in selected years calculated in relation to all works on
foreign subjects in each year, 1833-80 67
4.7 Works of art exhibited in the RA in absolute numbers,
1833-80 68
4.8 Comparative table of ethnographic art in the Salon and
the RA in selected years, in numbers and percentages,
1833-80 68
4.9 National categories in the RA and their scores in selected
years, 1833-80 70
4.10 Works on European and non-European subjects in the RA
in selected years, in numbers and percentages, 1833-80 71
4.11 Comparative table of the major national categories and
their rank in the Salon and the RA for the period 1833-80 72
4.12 Annual rates of the major national categories in the RA in
selected years, 1833-80 73
4.13 Distribution of 'Greek' works among different categories
of subject matter in the Salon in selected years, in absolute
numbers, 1833-80 76
4.14 Rates of different Greek subjects in the Salon in
selected years, 1833-80 77
4.15 Distribution of works among different Greek subjects in
the RA in selected years, in absolute numbers, 1833-80 79
4.16 Rates of the different Greek subjects in the RA in selected
years, calculated in relation to all works on Greek subjects
exhibited each year, 1833-80 80
vm
List of Tables IX
4.17 Comparative table of the rank of each of the different
Greek subjects found in the RA and the Salon with its
overall rate as a proportion of all works on Greek
subjects exhibited in each venue between 1833 and 1880
(all calculations are based on the sampled years) 81
4.18 Comparative table of the rank of each of the different
Greek subjects found in the RA and the Salon with its
overall score for the period 1833-80 81
7.1 Comparative table of works on the most frequently
appearing male personages from Greek mythology in the
RA and the Salon, in numbers and percentages, 1833-80 149
7.2 Male mythological personages in the RA by decade,
1834-79 149
8.1 Works on ancient Greek political personages in the RA
divided into historical and mythical personages, in
absolute numbers, 1833-80 166
8.2 Works on ancient Greek political personages in the RA
divided into male and female personages and presented
in absolute numbers, 1833-80 168
9.1 Images of ancient Greek city-states in French art in
absolute numbers, 1833-80 181
9.2 Comparative table of works on ancient Greek athletes by
artist and medium in the RA and the Salon, in absolute
numbers, 1833-80 186
9.3 Works on ancient Greek political personages in the Salon
divided into historical and mythical personages, in
absolute numbers, 1833-80 190
9.4 Works on ancient Greek historical political personages in
French art in absolute numbers, 1833-80 198