The Herculaneum women

"Around 1711, three life-size marble statues of women were found near Portici on the Bay of Naples. They were the first significant discoveries from the ancient city of Herculaneum, one of the towns buried in the A.D. 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and they became famous in Europe as the Large and Small Herculaneum Women. First brought to Vienna, they have been in the Antiquities Collection in Dresden since 1736." "This book presents the comprehensive history of these famous sculptures, including their discovery, archaeological context, art historical interpretation, and the impact of the Greek statuary types on representations of Roman women throughout the ancient world. No other models of the draped female body were used more often in Roman sculpture to carry individual portraits, especially those of private citizens, than the Large and Small Herculaneum Women."--Jacket.