ABSTRACT
The history of casts in Greece has received little attention, even though many of the pieces in European and North American collections originated in Greece. Greece did, however, establish an official cast workshop and from the end of the 19th century to the present has systematically produced numerous casts from antiquities, many of which have found their way into foreign collections to adorn public and private spaces. This chapter focuses on the short period between 1885 and 1901, when the Cast Workshop of the Archaeological Service was founded and produced the first casts. It discusses primarily on the rich archival material housed in the Historical Archive of Antiquities and Restorations of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. Although this diverse material, which includes such items as correspondence, catalogues, ledgers and receipts, records all aspects of the production of casts and their sale, exchange or donation, the chapter provides various roles attributed to casts, both abroad and within Greece itself.
