Small Forms Of Ancient Plastic Art In The Context Of The Mythological Themes Of The Venetian Renaissance

he article is devoted to the earliest forms of antique collecting, glyptics, and numismatics, which had a noticeable influence on the formation of the mythological theme in the art of Venice at the end of the 14’th-16’th centuries. The publication explores the reasons for the emergence of interest in collecting antique cameos, ancient coins, and medals, as well as provides characteristics, descriptions, and a brief overview of the collections compiled on their basis. Various aspects of collecting ancient coinage and gems are explored, as well as the direct participation of Venetian artists of the early Quattrocento in this process. In addition, a brief description of their own collections is given. As a result of the work done, it was revealed that, in addition to numismatics, ancient glyptics became widespread in the houses of Venetian antiquarians. Interest in them has not faded throughout the history of collecting, and has mainly focused on the illustrative function of this material. The artists’ acquaintance with it provided them with ample opportunities to transform mytholo-gical imagery and themes into Venetian art, from quot- ing the original to the free manifestation of creative imagination. The relevance of this work is associated with the special importance of collecting for the formation of the aesthetic programme of Venetian art. The purpose of the work is to show the role of antique collecting in the formation of a mythological theme. This study is based on the method of formal style analysis in combination with iconographic and iconological methods for studying works of art. The novelty of the work lies in the study of the influence of antique practice on the formation of mythological imagery and the penetration o