Plaster Casts of Ancient Greek and Roman Sculpture
Between 1894 and 1923, William J. Battle, professor of classical languages at The University of Texas at Austin, purchased approximately 100 plaster casts of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures for display in his classrooms and in the university’s main building. His goal was to enhance students’ understanding of classical civilization by offering visual examples of the art that embodied the history, literature, philosophy, and mythology of the period. UT’s casts were also used in studio art classes to teach technical and anatomical drawing. When casts became unfashionable in the 1950s, owing in part to the rise of modernism in art, many museums and universities disposed of their collections. Fortunately, most of UT’s collection was deposited in storage instead. The casts were restored in the 1970s and selections from the William J. Battle Collection are now on display in a study space adjacent to the Julia Matthews Wilkinson Center for Prints and Drawings.
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