From the Publisher: The British Museum has one of the finest collections of antiquities from ancient Greece and Rome outside of those countries. Masterpieces of Classical Art presents the highlights of the British Museum's collection for the first time in print. This beautiful volume displays 180 of the most important objects, including the most famous (such as the Parthenon sculptures), as well as a selection of lesser-known but equally significant pieces. Together, these works offer an overview of thewhole of ancient Classical art. Each object is illustrated with a large color photograph, many of which were taken especially for this publication. The accompanying text unfolds the unique story and features of each object. The introduction offers a brief history of the vast collections of the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. Additional section introductions give a brief background for each period of Classical art.