Description Of Art In Ancient All-Embracing Knowledge

The elder Pliny’s "Natural History" was finished in 77 ad, it was the representative work of western ancient encyclopedia. It was divided into 37 volumes,2500 chapters, in which volumes 34- 36(themed as metal, mineral, rock) recorded the information of bronze sculpture, painting, marble sculpture and architectural.Although the information of art works and artists in volumes 34-36 was just a small part of the all-embracing knowledge, and many of them were invented and unable to confirm, but in view of no complete ancient Greek artistic literature passed down to later generations, these information occupied a very important position in western art history. Pliny had reported the art views of Xenocrates, Antigonus, Duris, Pasiteles and other ancient Greek artists or writers, they were so useful for Renaissance writers like Alberti, Gilbertti,Vasari, which was an important part of western art history.This thesis is dvided into five chapters. The first chapter discusses the "Natural History" as a special genre of enkyklios paideia in ancient Rome cultural context,and its overall structure, purpose, and position of part of art in the whole work. The second chapter orginizes the specific contentv of volumes 34- 36 according to the bronze sculpture, painting, marble sculpture.The third chapter researchs Pliny’s use of the ancient Greek original material, attempts to clarify what had happened in the rewrting process of different writers. The fourth chapter analyzes Pliny’s view of art,examinies the similarities and differences between his attitude towards art and that of other writers of the same age. The fifth chapter discusses the influence of art section in "Natural History" for the Italian Renaissance art theory, understanding how it provides material, the term and concept for later art history writing. The appendix is translation of volumes 34- 36.