ANATOLIA AT THE LOUVRE
To go all the way to Paris from Istanbul to see
Anatolian works of art might seem illogical at first. Why spend
time and money going abroad when there are far larger collections
in museums in Ankara, Istanbul and other Turkish cities, one might
wonder. But the chance to see marble idols dating from the 3rd millenium
BC in the Louvre Museum is just one of several reasons to come here.
The Louvre does not have a separate section devoted to ancient Anatolian
exhibits. Instead these are to be found in the sections devoted
to the periods they represent (Ancient Greece, Rome and Near East
and Islamic Art). Seeing these pieces, most of which were found
in excavations carried out in Ottoman times, reveals how different
and inadequate laws relating to antiquities were in those days.
According to the explanatory notices beside them, the architrave
friezes from the Temple of Athena in Assos (Behramkale),which is
the only example in Anatolia of a Doric style Greek temple, were
presented as a gift by Sultan Mahmud II (1808-1839), and under agreements
concluded in 1838-1840 earned the right to be exhibited in the Louvre.
Ten of fifteen friezes dating from the third quarter of the 6th
century BC are on display in the Louvre, the remainder being in
Boston and in Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
Each section of these friezes made of red andesite
is carved with scenes such as animals in combat, the battle of Triton,
and the banquet given in honour of Heracles by King Eurythos. Two
painted sarcophagi of the Klazomenai type from Urla near Izmir,
three archaic statues of women seated in chairs from Miletus, and
nearby a lion from Sardis (at Salihli near Manisa) seem to declare,
'We are part of a shared culture created by the peoples of Anatolia'.
When we emerged from the dim light of the gallery,
more surprises were in store as our dazzled eyes adjusted to the
bright light outside. Almost all the works on display in the vast
courtyard were from Turkey's Aegean coast. The courtyd'sgi name,
the Sphinx Courtyard, is a reminder of the fact that a gigantic
sphinx from Egypt was exhibited here in 1934. The sphinx has long
since been moved elsewhere, but the name has stuck. The courtyard
is paved with a magnificent mosaic representing the seasons brought
from Harbiye (the ancient Daphne) near Turkey's southern city of
Antakya. On one wall are reliefs brought back from Turkey by Charles
Texier.
These consist of forty scenes in high relief, part of a frieze from
the Temple of Artemis in Magnesia on the Meander near the town of
Aydin. From the same site are four lion-headed gargoyles. Texier's
name is carved in huge letters on the same wall in acknowledgement
of his services to the museum.
Two great column plinths dating from the 2nd and
3rd centuries from the Temple of Apollo in Didyma were brought here
by French museum agents Don Gustave and Edmond de Rothschild in
the 19th century. In different corners of the courtyard stand four
caryatids dating from the 3rd century BC brought from Miletus by
O.Rayet and A.Thomas.
In another gallery opening off the Sphinx Courtyard
are more mosaics from Turkey. The majority of the Roman period mosaics
brought from countries bordering on the Mediterranean are from Antakya.
Among the second and 3rd century mosaics depicting a phoenix, the
Amazons, the judgement of Paris and other scenes, undoubtedly the
loveliest is that showing Paris deciding to which of the three beauties
he should present the golden apple. As you look at these small,
colourful mosaics, it is impossible not to feel profound respect
for the craftsmen who produced such exquisite works of art.The mosaics
discovered in excavations carried out in 1930 by a team of French,
American and Turkish archaeologists were shared out between the
three countries in agreements concluded with Hatay, at that time
an independent state but which later became a province of Turkey.
These are the mosaics which fell to France's share. In the same
gallery is a sarcophagus, again from Antakya, whose funeral scene
carved in high relief enchants the observer with its marvellous
craftsmanship. All through the Ancient Greek, Roman and Near East
and Islamic Arts galleries you encounter works of art from Turkey.
Our journey through the time tunnel of past cultures ranging from
Anatolia to Mesopotamia and Iran began in 7000 BC. We smiled at
the minute size of the figurines of the 9000 year old Anatolian
mother goddess, while the wide open mouth of the ceremonial drinking
cup in the form of a lion from the Kanesh Karun (Kültepe) dating
from 2000 BC still had the power to strike fear into the onlooker.
As we gazed at outstanding examples of stone carving ranging from
the time of the Hittite Empire to the Late Hittite period, represented
by finds from Maras and Yesemek near Gaziantep in southeastern Turkey,
we were captivated by the stele of Tarhunpiyas, the famous Hittite
writer depicted as a child in his mothr'se arms, and the basalt
stele of a merchant holding a pair of scales. These represented
another, human scale aspect of Hittite art. The Louvre also has
a magnificent collection of Islamic art, and Turkey is again well
represented by some of the finest examples from the Ottoman period,
most of which entered the Louvre collections in 1895. An entire
gallery is filled with 16th century Iznik ware tile panels, cups
and plates with the typical coral red of that period, earlier blue
and white Iznik ware, 17th century tombak ware (copper gilt) and
carpets. So for visitors from Turkey the Louvre has special significance,
whether their interest is in its ancient cultures or the Ottoman
period.
* Sengül Aydingün
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