"Stelios Lydakis provides a complete history of ancient Greek painting from the earliest examples in Crete, Thera, and Mycenae to those of the classical Greek and Roman epochs. Through a multitude of examples, he shows how these ancient works shaped later ones. The literary references he considers include the works of Lucian, Philostratos, Pausanias, and Pliny the Elder. Among the works of art reproduced are wall paintings from the Palace of Knossos, Thera, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis; vases from the Mycenean through the Classical periods; reliefs from the Parthenon; and mosaics from Pompeii and Delos. The book also features paintings made in later centuries that were inspired by antique models by such artists as Mantegna, Titian, Durer, Raphael, Rembrandt, and Rubens."--BOOK JACKET.