Collection of ancient Roman noses shows art trickery of the past

(12 Apr 2017) LEADIN:
An unique museum exhibit suggests that many ancient Romans were unhappy with the shape and size of their nose.
The Nasothek collection at Denmark's Glyptotek museum is a one-of-a-kind group of marble and plaster noses, once added to ancient sculptures to make them look more appealing.
STORYLINE:
If you've got a nose for the unusual, this unique collection is a good place to start.
At Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum in the Danish capital, this strange display case stands out among the rest.
Giving an insight into the crafty art trickery of the past, it's called 'Nasothek', a combination of Latin and Greek words meaning 'Nose Container'.
It contains around 156 pieces - mostly noses, but also some ears - once attached to ancient sculptures that arrived at the museum.
"When art dealers were selling off ancient sculpture, the collectors expected it to be more or less as it would have been in ancient times and of course missing limbs, missing noses, ears, hands, feet, like that, didn't sell very well," explains Jan Kindberg Jacobsen, curator of ancient art.
"So, in Rome there was a lot of workshops very good at producing contemporary pieces, which would then be attached to the ancient pieces.
"If they didn't do that, sometimes they put together pieces from different ancient sculptures, in that way they created a complete work."
But, whereas back then the sculptures' appearance - and therefore value - was of the upmost importance, now the focus is on originality and authenticity.
That meant in many cases Glyptotek conservationists removing the added noses and preserving the original creation.
That left them with a collection of designer snouts, all of which have ended up in this curious cabinet.
"In many instances, the reconstructions, the artificial noses have been taken off, but in many cases we have also left them on," says Kindberg Jacobsen.
"In some cases it would completely destroy the aesthetic expression of a piece and in other cases, such as sculpture, if we would take off the artificial limbs etc. the sculptures would simply collapse."
Kindberg Jacobsen says museum staff are often asked why ancient sculptures are missing their noses, perhaps ears.
He says it's simply because they're the most protruding part of the face and therefore most prone to damage.
"You have to remember that these sculptures are very old, 2,000 years and more, they would have been in the soil for quite some time, maybe re-used in buildings, things like that, and of course in the course of time, they have been worn down," he says.
"Sculptures, as a whole, obviously what breaks off first that is the arms, it's the legs etc. and so these are the pieces that often you would have to reconstruct."
The noses may all look quite similar, but Kindberg Jacobsen says there are actually many differences to spot.
Often these sculptural busts were used to portray a "photo shopped" version of the subject.
"If you didn't have a very, let's say, 'nice face' you could present yourself having features much more appealing, it was a very common thing," he says.
"So, portraiture was a way of communication, the image that you would like other people to have of you. I mean, you can draw a line from that to Facebook, Twitter, things like that. You self-reflect yourself in front of the surrounding world."
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek museum was first opened in 1882. It was founded by beer brewer Carl Jacobsen.
The museum features works of art and artifacts from Egypt, ancient Greece and the Roman Empire.
"It seems as if people back then were more interested in having complete statues to look at."

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