A nasothek (from the Latin ' "nose" and Greek "container") is a collection of sculpted noses.

Carlsberg display of restoration noses

The

Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek ("ny" means "new" in Danish; "Glyptotek" comes from the Greek root ''glyphein'', to carve, and ''theke'', storing place), commonly known simply as Glyptoteket, is an art museum in Copenhagen, Denmark. The collection ...

museum in Copenhagen has a nasothek collection that displays restored noses that were removed from portrait busts and statues after changes in the museum's

art restoration The conservation and restoration of cultural property focuses on protection and care of cultural property (tangible cultural heritage), including artworks, architecture, archaeology, and museum collections. Conservation activities include prev ...

policies. The noses, some made of marble and others of plaster, were all originally exhibited on the Greek and Roman statues in the glyptotek itself.Sign in Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek under its nasothek display

The

white marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphosed ...

favored by Classical sculptors is easily broken, and many antique statues have been damaged since their creation by accidents,

iconoclasm Iconoclasm (from Ancient Greek, Greek: grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών, lit=figure, icon, translit=eikṓn, label=none + grc, wikt:κλάω, κλάω, lit=to break, translit=kláō, label=none)From grc, wikt:εἰκών, εἰκών + wi ...

, or vandalism. During the 19th century, it was common practice for museums to exhibit such marble sculptures in a "restored" state, with damaged parts repaired or reconstructed to make the statue look as much as possible as it did when it was first created. The noses of antique statues are especially likely to be damaged or missing, so many Greek or Roman statues acquired new noses during this era. Modern exhibition practice may differ from museum to museum. The minimalist approach prescribes removing such 19th-century additions in the interest of authenticity, as has been done in Copenhagen. The Ny Carlsberg museum, which has an extensive collection of Greek and Roman marble statues, participated both in 19th-century restoration and in 20th-century "de-restoration." As a result, many Roman portrait heads are now noseless again, with their restored noses removed to the museum's nasothek. The museum display explains its contents in both Danish and English. The English description says, "The word ''nasothek'' means a collection of noses, in analogy with ', a collection of records." The Danish explanation compares "nasotek" (Danish equivalent of "nasothek") to "", a collection of books.

Lund display of plaster casts of noses

The ''Nasoteket'' at

Lund University , motto = Ad utrumque , mottoeng = Prepared for both , established = , type = Public research university , budget = SEK 9 billion Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was k ...

References

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External links

Photograph of display information about Copenhagen's collection of noses provided by the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek

Museology Nose Sculpture collections