Classical antiquity was Tom Swope’s first love, the art of Greece, Rome and Egypt, the myths and the history. He now also embraces art after the antique, and the academic plaster casts taken from famous ancient statues. These were fairly common by the late 19th Century and every museum and university had their cast collection to educate the public as to the good in art. By the mid 20th Century such casts had come into disregard and many were lost to neglect or literally thrown out and buried in landfill.  Now we can appreciate that even if just casts, their history and scale, make them impressive and beautiful in their own right.

 Cast of the Hera Barberini