Myronof Eleutherae in Attica worked at Athens in the first half of the fifth centuryb.c.Although he had not entirely abandoned the archaic style (notably, in his rendering of hair, Pliny,H. N.xxxiv., 58), he was distinguished for his skill in representing life. His power lay partly in the rendering of vigorous movement in sculpture, as in his athletic statues, and partly in a realistic imitation of nature, as in his famous cow.
No original works of Myron are extant. His best known work, the Discobolos, is preserved in copies, one of which is described below. The bronze statuette of Marsyas in the Bronze Room may be studied after a group of Athenè and Marsyas by Myron.
Fig. 5.Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
250.Graeco-Roman copy of the bronze Discobolos of Myron.A young athlete is represented in the act of hurling the disk. He has swung it back, and is about to throw it to the furthest possible distance before him. The head, as here attached, looks straight to the ground, but in the original it looked more backwards as in a copy formerly in the Massimi palace at Rome. (Cf. Lucian,Philopseud.18.) Compare a gem in the British Museum (Fig. 5;Cat. of Gems, No. 742, pl. G), which is inscribedΥΑΚΙΝΘΟϹ.According to a judgment of Quintilian, the laboured complexity of the statue is extreme, but any one who should blame it on this ground would do so under a misapprehension of its purpose, inasmuch as the merit of the work lies in its novelty and difficulty. "Quid tam distortum et elaboratum, quam est ille discobolos Myronis? si quis tamen, ut parum rectum, improbet opus, nonne ab intellectu artis abfuerit, in qua vel praecipue laudabilis est ipsa illa novitas ac difficultas?"—Quint.Inst. Orat., ii., 13. 10.—Found in 1791 in Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli.Townley Coll.
Marble; height, 5 feet 5 inches. Restorations:—Nose, lips, chin, piece in neck, part of disk and r. hand; l. hand; piece under r. arm; pubis; r. knee; a small piece in r. leg, and parts of the toes.Specimens, I., pl. 29;Mus. Marbles, XI., pl. 44; Clarac, V., pl. 860, No. 2194b; Ellis,Townley Gallery, I., p. 241;Guide to Graeco-Roman Sculptures, I., No. 135;Stereoscopic, No. 149; Wolters, No. 452.
The sculptures of the Parthenon illustrate the style of Pheidias, the greatest of Greek sculptors.
Pheidias, son of Charmides, the Athenian, was born about 500b.c.He was a pupil of the sculptor Ageladas, of Argos, or, according to others, of Hegias or Hegesias, of Athens.His youth was passed during the period of the Persian wars, and his maturity was principally devoted to the adornment of Athens, from the funds contributed by the allied Greek states during the administration of Pericles.
Among the chief of the works of this period was the Parthenon, or temple of the virgin Goddess Athenè. The architect was Ictinos, but the sculptural decorations, and probably the design of the temple, were planned and executed under the superintendence of Pheidias. The building was probably begun aboutb.c.447 (according to Michaelis,b.c.454). It was sufficiently advanced to receive the statue of the Parthenos inb.c.438, and was probably completed either in that year or a little later. It stood on the Acropolis of Athens, on a site which had been already occupied by a more ancient temple, commonly supposed to have been an ancient Parthenon, which was burnt on the sacking of Athens by the Persians,b.c.480. Recently, however, the foundations of an early temple have been discovered between the Parthenon and the Erechtheion. It has been thought that this is the Pre-Persian Parthenon, and that the traces of an older foundation below the existing Parthenon only date from the time immediately following the Persian wars. A building is supposed to have then been begun, on a plan somewhat different from that which was carried out by Ictinos and Pericles.
The Parthenon was of the Doric order of architecture, and was of the form termedperipteral octastyle; that is to say, it was surrounded by a colonnade, which had eight columns at each end. The architectural arrangements can be best learnt from the model, which is exhibited in the Elgin Room. See also the plan (fig.6.) and elevation (pl. iv.).
The principal chamber (cella) within the colonnade contained the colossal statue of Athenè Parthenos (see below, Nos.300-302). Externally the cella was decorated with a frieze in low relief (see below, p.145). Thetwo pediments, or gables at each end of the building (see below, Nos.303,304) were filled with figures sculptured in the round. Above the architrave, or beam resting on the columns, were metopes, or square panels, adorned with groups in very high relief, which served to fill up the spaces between the triglyphs, or groups of three vertical parallel bands, representing beam ends. All these sculptured decorations were executed, like the architecture, in Pentelic marble.
Fig. 6.—Plan of the Parthenon. (From Michaelis.)Fig. 6.—Plan of the Parthenon. (From Michaelis.)
Fig. 6.—Plan of the Parthenon. (From Michaelis.)
The statue of the Parthenos is known to have been in existence about 430a.d.; but not long after this date the figure was removed, and the Parthenon was converted into a Christian church, dedicated at first to Santa Sophia (or the Divine Wisdom), and afterwards to the Panagia (or Virgin Mary). For the purposes of the church, an apse was built at the east end of the cella, and the entrance was moved to the west end. The building was also givena vaulted roof, which covered the cella alone. In consequence the frieze was exposed to the weather, and the east pediment was much destroyed. From 1206 to 1458, during the period of the Frankish Dukes of Athens, the Parthenon was a Latin church. Athens was taken by the Turks in 1458, and the Parthenon was again an Orthodox Greek church for two years. In 1460, however, it was converted into a Turkish mosque. From this date it probably suffered little until 1687, when Athens was taken by the Venetian General, Morosini. In the course of a bombardment of the Acropolis, the besiegers succeeded in throwing a shell into a powder magazine in the Parthenon, and caused an explosion that destroyed the roof and much of the long sides of the building. Further injury was done by Morosini, who made an attempt to take down the central group of the west pediment, which was still nearly complete.
Fortunately, many of the sculptures had been drawn by a skilful artist before the explosion. In 1674 Jacques Carrey, a painter in the suite of the Marquis de Nointel, French ambassador at the Porte, made sketches of large portions of the frieze and metopes, and of the then extant portions of the pedimental compositions. These drawings are preserved in the French Bibliothèque Nationale, and are constantly referred to in discussions of the Parthenon sculptures.
In 1688 Athens was restored to the Turks, and from this date to the end of the last century the sculptures of the Parthenon were exposed to constant injury. Some of them were made into lime, or built into walls by the Turkish garrison; others were mutilated by the travellers who from time to time obtained admission to the Acropolis, and broke off portable fragments of the sculptures.
In 1749, when the west pediment was drawn by Dalton, many figures still remained in position which had disappearedbefore the time of Lord Elgin. Several portions also of the frieze, which were seen by Stuart, had disappeared at the beginning of the present century. On the other hand, the east pediment, being inaccessible, suffered no important change between 1674 and 1800.
In the years 1801-3 many of the sculptures of the Parthenon were removed to England by the Earl of Elgin, then British ambassador at Constantinople, by means of a firman obtained from the Porte (see p.6). The Elgin Collection, which includes other marbles obtained from Athens and elsewhere, together with casts and drawings, was purchased from Lord Elgin by the British Government in 1816 for £35,000. Several portions of the sculptures of the Parthenon have been discovered since the time of Lord Elgin on the Acropolis and its slopes, or in various parts of Europe, to which they had been taken by travellers. These are represented as far as possible in the British Museum by plaster casts.
The following aids to the study of the Parthenon will be found in the Elgin Room:—
Model of the Athenian Acropolis, showing its condition in the year 1870. Presented by Prof. Adolf Michaelis.
Model of the Parthenon. The model was made by R. C. Lucas, on a scale of a foot to 20 feet, and represents the state of the temple in 1687, after the explosion, but before Morosini had attacked the west pediment.
Carrey's drawings of the pediments. Photographic reproductions of the originals are exhibited.
A restored view of the Athenian Acropolis. By Richard Bohn.
The work of Michaelis,Der Parthenon(Leipzig, 1871), collects the material for the study of the Parthenon, and contains an excellent digest of all that had been written on the subject up to the year 1871. For later writers, see belowpassim, and Wolters.For the chronology of Pheidias, see Loeschcke, inUntersuchungen A. Schaefer gewidmet, p. 25; for the question as to his master, see Klein,Arch.-Epigr. Mittheilungen aus Oesterreich, VII., p. 64; Murray,Greek Sculpture, 2nd ed., p. 186. For the older temple on the site of the Parthenon, see Doerpfeld, inAthenische Mittheilungen, XII., p. 45; Harrison,Mythology of Anc. Athens, p. 467. The plan given above is taken from Michaelis. Important modifications have been proposed by Doerpfeld,Athenische Mittheilungen, VI., pl. 12, p. 283; Harrison,loc. cit., p. 464. For the mediæval history of the Parthenon, see Laborde;Athènes aux XVe, XVIe, et XVIIeSiècles(Paris, 1854); Gregorovius,Athen im Mittelalter(1889). Facsimiles of Carrey's drawings are in the British Museum, and have been partially published in the works of Laborde,Le Parthénon(Paris, 1848). For photographic copies of the drawings of the pediments, seeAntike Denkmäler, I., pls. 6, 6a. Dalton's views of the Acropolis were published in 1751, but the remains of Athens were little known till the appearance ofThe Antiquities of Athens, by James Stuart and Nicolas Revett. (London: vol. I., 1762; vol. II., 1787; vol. III., 1794; vol. IV., 1816; vol. V., 1830). A second edition, with additional matter, but having inferior illustrations, was issued in 1825-1830. The original drawings, made for this work by Pars, were presented to the British Museum by the Society of Dilettanti. The official inquiry into the proceedings of Lord Elgin is contained in theReport from the Select Committee of the House of Commons on the Earl of Elgin's Collection of Sculptured Marbles; &c.(London, 1816).
The colossal statue of Athenè Parthenos by Pheidias was placed within the central chamber of the Parthenon. The figure was made of gold and ivory, and was, with its base, about 40 feet high. Athenè stood, draped in chiton and aegis. In her left hand she held her spear and shield. Between her and her shield was the serpent Erichthonios. On her outstretched right hand was a winged Victory, six feet high, holding a wreath. The helmet of the Goddess was adorned, according to Pausanias, with a Sphinx and Gryphons. From detailed copies of the head(Athenische Mittheilungen, viii., pl. 15;Cat. of Gems in B. M.637, 638) we learn that the Gryphons were on the cheek-pieces, and that there was a figure of Pegasos on each side of the Sphinx. There was also a row of small horses at the front of the helmet. All available space was covered with reliefs. A battle between Greeks and Amazons (see below, Nos. 301, 302) was seen on the exterior of the shield, and one between Gods and Giants on its interior. On the base was a representation of the birth of Pandora (see No.301) and on the edges of the sandals was a battle between Centaurs and Lapiths.
The statue disappeared from view with the fall of paganism. Nos. 300-302 afford some of the materials for its reconstruction. Rough reproductions of the figure also occur on Attic reliefs, such as Nos. 771-773.
The statuette, No.300, is of service for the details of the composition, although it is artistically a poor copy. The Lenormant statuette, No.301, though rough and incomplete, is of more value for its rendering of the features.
The column beneath the hand of Athenè (in No.300) presents some difficulty, as it is not mentioned in descriptions of the statue and seldom occurs in reproductions of it. It is seen in an Attic relief (Michaelis, pl. 15, fig. 7) on a lead ticket (Zeitschr. für Numismatik, x., p. 152) and, in the form of an olive tree, on a Lycian coin of the time of Alexander (Zeitschr. für Num.,loc. cit.; Murray, ii., pl. 11). It is more probable that an existing support should be omitted in reliefs, than that it should be inserted if non-existent. It is possible, however, that the support was not a part of the design of Pheidias, but was an addition, found to be necessary before the time of Alexander.
300.Cast of a statuette, copied from the Athenè Parthenos. The Goddess wears a helmet, ægis, chiton with diploïdion girt round the waist, bracelets and sandals; her left hand rests on her shield, which stands on its edgeat her side. In the centre of the outside of the shield is a mask of Medusa, and inside a serpent; the right hand of Athenè is extended in front and rests on a column with the palm open upwards, holding a figure of Victory, in whose hands are remains of what is thought to be a garland. The head of the Victory is wanting. On the centre of the helmet of Athenè is a Sphinx, and at each side has been a Pegasos.
The statuette was found in a shrine in a private house. Compare the vision of Proclos, who was bidden to prepare his house for Athenè, when her statue was being removed by the Christians from the Parthenon, about 430a.d.(Marinus,Proclos, 30; Michaelis, p. 270.)
The original, which is of Pentelic marble, is in the National Museum at Athens. Height, with plinth, 3 feet 5 inches. Found in 1880,near the Varvakion in Athens. Athenische Mittheilungen, VI., pls. 1, 2, p. 56;Journ. of Hellen. Studies, II., p. 3; Schreiber,Athena Parthenos des Phidias, pl. 1; Brunn,Denkmaeler, Nos. 39, 40; Waldstein, pl. 14; Harrison,Mythology and Monuments of Anc. Athens, p. 447. For literature see Waldstein,Essays, p. 270; Wolters, No. 467.
301.Cast of a statuette, copied from the statue of Athenè Parthenos. Athenè wears a helmet, ægis, and chiton with diploïdion girt round the waist; her right hand is extended in front with the palm open upwards as if to hold out the figure of Victory. In this part the statuette is unfinished, the marble underneath the right arm not having been hewn away. The left hand of the Goddess rests on her shield, which stands on its edge at her side; inside the shield is a serpent; outside are reliefs representing the battle between Greeks and Amazons, which is seen in more detail in No. 302. Among the figures, we recognise several which occur on No. 302. The figure of Pheidias (a, see No.302) is near the top of the relief, and holds a stone, as described by Plutarch. Next him perhaps is Pericles (b) separated from the fallen Amazon (c), which is at thebottom of the shield, as in No. 302. The group of the Greek seizing an Amazon (d) is seen on the right as in No. 302. The fallen Amazon (e) with hands above her head is high up, on the left of the relief. In place of the group of an Amazon supporting her companion (f) which is in No. 302, we have here the same subject, but differently treated. The Gorgon's head is roughly indicated near the middle of the shield. From the manner in which the rest of the figure corresponds to the chryselephantine statue, it has been assumed that the rude outlines of figures in relief on the base of the statuette represent the composition of Pheidias, of which the subject was the birth of Pandora (Paus., i., xxiv., 7.)
The original of this statue, which is of marble, is in the National Museum at Athens. Height 1 foot 4¾ inches. Found in 1859near the Pnyx, at Athens. Lenormant,Gazette des Beaux Arts, 1860, VIII., p. 133; Jahn,Pop. Aufsätze, p. 215, pl. 1; Michaelis, pl. 15, fig. 1, p. 273; Overbeck,Gr. Plast., 3rd ed., I., p. 253, fig. 54; Brunn,Denkmaeler, No. 38; Wolters, No. 466; Harrison,Mythology and Monuments of Anc. Athens, p. 449. For the Pandora relief, see Puchstein, inJahrbuch des Arch. Inst., V., p. 113.
302.Fragment of shield supposed to be a rough copy from the shield of the statue of Athenè Parthenos. Pliny (H. N., xxxvi., 18) and Pausanias (i., 17, 2) state that the outside of the shield was ornamented with the representation of a battle between Greeks and Amazons. Plutarch adds (Pericles, 31) that one of the figures represented Pheidias himself as an old bald-headed man raising a stone with both hands, while in another figure, who was represented fighting against an Amazon, with one hand holding out a spear in such a way as to conceal the face, the sculptor introduced the likeness of Pericles. This story is probably of late origin, and invented to account for two characteristic figures on the shield. A head of Medusa, or Gorgoneion, encircled by two serpents, formsthe centre of the composition on the fragment. Below the Gorgoneion is a Greek warrior (a, cf. No.301), bald-headed, who raises both hands above his head to strike with a battle-axe. This figure has been thought to correspond with that of Pheidias in the original design. Next to him on the right is a Greek (b) who plants his left foot on the body of a fallen Amazon (c) and is in the act of dealing a blow with his right hand; his right arm is raised across his face and conceals the greater part of it. The action of this figure again presents a partial correspondence with that of Pericles as described by Plutarch. To the right of the supposed Pericles are two Greeks: the one advances to the right; the other (d) seizes by the hair an Amazon falling on the right. Above this group is an Amazon running to the right and a Greek striding to the left. His shield has the device of a hare. Above him are three armed Greeks, and the remains of another figure. On the left of the figure described as Pheidias is a Greek who has fallen on his knees. Further to the left is a fallen Amazon (e) who lies with her head towards the lower edge of the shield. Near her is a wounded Amazon (f) supported by a companion of whom but little remains. The lower part of a third figure, probably that of a Greek, is also seen. All the Amazons wear high boots and a short chiton, leaving the right breast exposed; their weapon is a double-headed axe. Red colour remains on the two serpents which encircle the Gorgon's head, on the shield of one of the Greeks and in several places on the draperies.—Obtained by Viscount Strangford from Athens.
Pentelic marble; height, 1 foot 4¾ inches; width, 1 foot 6 inches. Conze,Arch. Zeit., 1865, pls. 196, 197; Jahn,Pop. Aufsätze, p. 216, pl. 2, 1; Michaelis, pl. 15, fig. 34. Overbeck,Gr. Plast., 3rd ed., I., p. 255, fig. 55; Mitchell, p. 313; Mansell, No. 729; Wolters, No. 471; Harrison,Mythology and Monuments of Anc. Athens, p. 453. There is a fragment of a similar shield in the Vatican, Michaelis, pl. 15, fig. 35.
303.We know from Pausanias (i., 24, 5) that the subject of the composition in the eastern pediment had relation to the birth of Athenè, who, according to the legend, sprang forth, fully armed, from the brain of Zeus. As all the central part of this composition was already destroyed when Carrey made his drawing of the pediment, we have no means of ascertaining how the subject was treated; and whether the moment immediately after the birth was represented, as has been generally supposed, or, as has been also suggested, the moment immediately before the birth.
A relief surrounding aputealor well-head, now at Madrid, has been thought to throw light on this question. There Zeus is enthroned, looking to the right; Athenè is before him, armed, and advances to the right. A Victory flies towards her with a wreath. Behind the throne of Zeus is Hephaestos, who has cleft the skull of Zeus with his axe, and starts back in astonishment. On the extreme right of the composition are the three Fates (Schneider,Geburt der Athena, pl. 1; Mitchell, p. 350, fig. 157). Unfortunately the subordinate figures have not a sufficient resemblance to those which are still extant of the Parthenon pediment, to allow us to assume a direct connection between the pediment and the relief. Some such composition, however, seems more consonant with the dignity of Athenè than the scheme which occurs on vases and Etruscan mirrors (e.g.on a vase in the British Museum, No. B. 53;Mon. dell' Inst., iii., pl. 44) where the Goddess is represented as a diminutive figure, above the head of Zeus. This conclusion is confirmed by Sauer's recent examination of the ground of the pediment. It is now proved that the middle of the east pedimentwas occupied by two figures of equal importance, and not by a single central figure of Zeus, such as is required, if we suppose that the subject was treated according to the tradition of the vase painters. It is further shown to be probable that Zeus was seated on the left of the centre, seen in profile and turned to the right, and that Athenè stood on the right of the centre, holding a spear in her outstretched right hand. The whole group between the figures G and K is thought, from the indications on the pediment, to have consisted of the following figures, in order from the left:—Standing figure, stepping inwards (cf. Hermes of the west pediment); standing figure; seated figure in profile to the right; figure standing immediately behind Zeus; Zeus and Athenè; Hephaestos (H); seated figure in profile to the left; standing figure; standing figure turned to the left (J); standing figure turned outward (compare G).
If we confine our attention to the extant pedimental figures, we find wide differences of opinion as to their interpretation. The figures in the angles are the only ones as to which there can be no doubt. On the left the sun-god, Helios, rises from the ocean, driving his car, and on the right the moon-goddess Selenè sets beneath the horizon.
These two figures may be interpreted as marking the boundaries either of Olympos or of the universe. It has also been suggested that they indicate the hour at which the birth took place. This, according to Attic tradition, was at sunrise.
Thus far the interpretation rests upon sure grounds. Of the remaining figures in the pediment, J has been generally recognised as Victory greeting the newly born Goddess, and G has been generally taken for Iris, announcing the news to the world (but see below,G). None of the remaining figures have been conclusivelyidentified. Most of the numerous schemes of interpretation that have been proposed are exhibited in a table by Michaelis,Der Parthenon, p. 165, cf.Guide to the Elgin Room, I., Table A. As regards the general principles of interpretation it is to be observed that the schemes may be divided into two classes. We may either suppose with the earlier critics that the space bounded by Helios and Selenè represents Olympos, and that all the figures contained within this space are definite mythological personages, probably deities, who may be supposed to have been present at the birth; or we may assume that all the deities present were comprised in the central part of the pediment, and that the figures towards the angles belong to the world outside Olympos, to whom the news is brought. These may be definite mythological persons, or they may be figures personifying parts of the natural world. Compare the Homeric Hymn to Athenè, and Pindar,Olymp., vii., 35.
The best views of this pediment are (1) the drawing of Carrey in the Bibliothèque Nationale (pl. v., fig. 1). A facsimile in the British Museum; in Laborde,Le Parthénon, andAntike Denkmaeler, I., pl. 6 (exhibited in Elgin Room); (2) sketch by Pars, engraved in Stuart, vol. II., chap. I., pl. 1. The original drawing is in the Print Room of the British Museum. For a list of proposed restorations, see Schneider,Geburt der Athena, p. 23, pls. 2-7; Waldstein,Essays, p. 139. For Sauer's examination of the pediment, seeAthenische Mittheilungen, XVI., pl. 3, p. 59;Antike Denkmaeler, I., pl. 58. The ends of the pediment are reproduced in figs. 7, 8.
Fig. 7.—The South End of the East Pediment of the ParthenonFig. 7.—The South End of the East Pediment of the Parthenon (according to Sauer).
Fig. 7.—The South End of the East Pediment of the Parthenon (according to Sauer).
Fig. 8—The North End of the East Pediment of the ParthenonFig. 8—The North End of the East Pediment of the Parthenon (according to Sauer).
Fig. 8—The North End of the East Pediment of the Parthenon (according to Sauer).
303 A.Helios, in his chariot emerging from the waves. The head is wanting, the neck has a forward inclination corresponding with the action of the arms, which are stretched out in front of the body, holding the reins by which the upspringing horses of the Sun-god were guided and controlled. The head of Helios had been already broken away in Carrey's time; the wrist and hand of the right arm, now wanting, are shown in his drawing. The surface of the marble on the neck having been protected from weather by the cornice retains its original polish. At the back and between the arms are sculptured small rippling waves to represent a calm sea at sunrise. These waves are treated in the conventional manner usual in representations of water in Greek art; their profile shown on the edge of the plinth approximates very nearly to the well-known wave pattern. The metal reins have been attached to the upper surface of the plinth under the right forearm, and also under the right hand, now lost; three dowel holes in this part of the plinth served for their attachment. The waves were probably distinguished by colour. It has been noted by Michaelis that the angle in which this figure was placed is the darkest spot in the eastern pediment, and that it is only fully illumined by the early morning sun.
Mus. Marbles, VI., pl. 1; Michaelis, pl. 6, fig. 8; Overbeck, I., p. 303, fig. 61 (with B, C).
303 B, C.Two horses of Helios. The team of Helios was represented by four horses' heads, two of which still remain in position on the temple, at the back of the pediment. The two which are here are sculptured in the round out of one block of marble. They are represented emerging from the waves, the profile of which is sculptured in relief on the neck of the nearest horse. The head of the horse nearest the eye (B) looks outwards, and has projected beyond the plane of the pedimental cornice, so that it must have caught the light. The action of this horse's head is most spirited, though its effect is greatly impaired by the loss of the lower jaw, and the injury which the surface of the marble has received from exposure to the weather. The reins were of metal, and the points of attachment of reins and bridle are marked by three dowel holes in the plinth, a fourth behind the right ear, and a fifth inside themouth. The head of the other horse on this block (C), which was advanced beyond the outside head, so as to be visible, is nearly destroyed; only the neck and back of the head remain.
Mus. Marbles, VI., pl. 2; Michaelis, pl. 6, fig. 9;Stereoscopic, No. 105. For the two heads still on the pediment, seeAthenische Mittheilungen, XVI., p. 81.
303 D.This figure, which is commonly known as Theseus, reclines on a rock and faces the horses of Helios. He leans on his left arm in an easy attitude. The right arm is bent, but, as the hand is wanting, we can only form conjectures as to what its action may have been. It probably held a spear, or some other long object, the end of which may have been attached to the left ankle at the place where a dowel hole is still visible. According to some writers, the hole served for the attachment of the laced work of a sandal in bronze. (Ber. d. k. sächs. Ges. d. Wissenschaften, 1880, p. 44.) The legs are bent, the left leg drawn back under the right. The headdress is in the form of the krobylos (cf. No. 209). The body is entirely nude: over the rock on which the figure rests is thrown a mantle under which is strewn a skin, the claws of which are certainly those of some feline animal. The type and position of this figure present so much resemblance to the Heracles on the silver coins of Croton in Lower Italy (Mus. Marbles, vi., title-page), that it has been identified with that hero by Visconti, who supposed the skin on which he reclines to be that of a lion. This skin, however, seems more like that of a panther, on which ground the figure has been thought to be Dionysos, who appears in a very similar reclining attitude on another Athenian work, the Choragic monument of Lysicrates (No. 430,1); compare the statue in the Louvre, Müller-Wieseler,Denkmaeler, ii., pl. 32, No. 360. Compare also the figure of Dionysos reclining, on a relief on anaskosinthe British Museum, No. G. 281 (seefig. 9). The figure, however, differs greatly in character, not only from the figure on the monument of Lysicrates, but also from the figure sometimes supposed to be Dionysos on the frieze of the Parthenon. (East side, No. 38.) More recently Brunn has interpreted this figure as the mountain of Olympos illumined by the first rays of the rising sun, and it must be acknowledged that the attitude and type of the so-called Theseus is very suitable for the personification of a mountain. Compare the figures of mountains from reliefs, collected by Waldstein (Essays, pp. 173, 174).
Fig. 9.Fig. 9.
Fig. 9.
Mus. Marbles, VI., pls. 3, 4; Baumeister,Denkmaeler, p. 1180, fig. 1370; Michaelis, pl. 6, fig. 10; Overbeck,Gr. Plast., 3rd ed., I., p. 304, fig. 62; Murray, II., pl. 5;Stereoscopic, No. 105; Waldstein,Essays, pl. 6; Brunn,Ber. der k. bayer. Akad.,Phil. hist. Cl., 1874, II., p. 14. The correct position of the figure in the pediment has been ascertained by Sauer (cf.fig. 7).
303 E, F.Two female figures, seated on square seats. They both wear a sleeveless chiton, girt at the waist, and a diploïdion. Over it is a mantle thrown over their lowerlimbs in a rich composition of folds. On the right wrist of the figure nearest the angle (E) is a dowel hole, probably for the attachment of a bracelet. Her companion (F), who wore metal fibulæ on each shoulder, extends her left arm towards the figure, which is advancing towards her. Her head has been broken off at the base of the neck, but it has probably been turned towards her companion, who rests her left arm affectionately on her shoulder, and who probably looked towards her, perhaps as if listening to the news brought by Iris. The seats, on which are laid folded carpets, are carved out of the marble with great care and delicacy of finish, the regular geometrical lines being valuable in opposition to the varied undulations of the drapery. In the sides and backs of both seats are oblong sunk panels, in one of which several archaeologists have tried unsuccessfully to read the name of an artist (see Michaelis, p. 174; Brunn,Griech. Künstler, i., p. 104). Most of the writers on the Parthenon, from Visconti downwards, have named this group Demeter and Persephonè, two deities, whose cult in Attica ranked second only to that of Athenè herself. This attribution would be strengthened if the reclining male figure could be identified with Dionysos, a deity whose worship in Attica was closely connected with that of the Eleusinian goddesses. The composition of the group has suggested to other archaeologists a sisterly rather than a filial relation between the figures. Bröndsted (Voyages et Recherches, ii., p. xi.) suggested that these two figures, with G, were the three Horae or Seasons, worshipped in Attica under the names Thallo, Auxo and Karpo. Brunn (followed by Waldstein) supposes that the two figures are Horae, but that they must be viewed as the warders of the gates of Olympos (Hom.Il., v., 749) rather than as Attic deities. On this theory the position of figure G, if it represents Iris, would indicate that she is on thepoint of reaching the boundary of Olympos and passing to the outer world.
Mus. Marbles, VI., pl. 5; Michaelis, pl. 6, fig. 11; Murray, II., pl. 4;Stereoscopic, No. 106; Rayet,Monuments, No. 32; Waldstein,Essays, pl. 7; Mitchell,Selections, pl. 6; Brunn,Ber. der k. bayer. Akad., Phil. hist. Cl., 1874, II., p. 15.
303 G.Iris (?).—This figure is moving rapidly to our left, the right knee bent. The left arm was probably extended; the right was bent nearly at a right angle. Both hands probably held parts of the mantle, of which a remnant floats behind, bellied out by the resistance of the air to the rapid movement of the figure. The feet are wanting from the instep. The figure was let into a socket about two inches deep, on the floor of the pediment. It seems to be exactly in the same condition as when Carrey saw it, except that in his drawing rather more of the neck appears than now remains. The dress is a Doric chiton,schistos, open down the left side, except for the girdle. Over this falls a diploïdion. The arms of this figure are small in proportion to the strength of the lower limbs, and the breasts undeveloped like those of a young girl. This would be consistent with the type of Iris as the messenger of Zeus and Hera, trained to swift movement. The head may have been half turned back towards the central group, but too little remains of the neck to make this certain. From the rapid movement of the figure in a direction turned away from the centre of the composition, archæologists have been nearly unanimous in thinking that the figure is Iris on her way to announce the event of the birth to the world outside Olympos. But the action is not that of a steady flight through the air, for which the Nikè of Paionios (No. 192) should be compared. It is rather that of a person starting aside in alarm. Moreover, the figure has not the wings of Iris, and on these grounds she has been called Eileithyia (Murray, ii., p. 71), Hebè(Brunn,Ber. d. k. bayer. Akad. Phil. hist. Cl., 1874, ii., p. 19), or simply a terrified maiden (Wolters, p. 254).
Mus. Marbles, VI., pls. 6, 7; Baumeister,Denkmaeler, p. 1183, fig. 1373;Stereoscopic, No. 106; Michaelis, pl. 6, figs. 12, 12a; Murray, II., pl. 4; Mitchell,Selections, pl. 6.
303 H.Cast of a torso of Hephaestos or Prometheus. Powerful male torso, from the neck to the groin. The action of the shoulders, and of the muscles of the ribs and back shows that the arms were raised. Perhaps both hands held an axe above the head, as if about to strike. This is the only fragment besides No. 303 J. which has any claim to be assigned to the central group of the eastern pediment. Though we have little knowledge of how the central group of this pediment was composed, we may suppose that the personage would not have been omitted through whose act of cleaving the head of Zeus with an axe the birth of Athenè was accomplished. In the most generally diffused version of the myth this was done by Hephaestos, but Attic tradition preferred to attribute the deed to Prometheus. The original, which was discovered on the east side of the Parthenon in 1836, is atAthens.
Michaelis, pl. 6, figs. 13, 13a.
303 J.Nikè, or Victory. Torso of a female figure, moving rapidly to the front, and to our left, with the right arm extended in the same direction. The figure wears a short sleeveless chiton with a diploïdion which is confined under the girdle, to facilitate rapid motion. A piece of bronze, which is fixed in the marble about the middle of the left thigh, may have served for the attachment of a metallic object, perhaps a taenia held in the left hand. At the back the drapery is tied together, so as to leave the shoulder-blades bare. On each shoulder-blade is a deep oblong sinking, which can only have served for the insertionof the wings, which must have been attached by dowels in the holes pierced round the sinkings. It may be inferred from the size of these sinkings that the wings were of marble, not metal.
It has generally been taken for granted, that this figure belongs to the eastern pediment, and it has been inferred from its height that it was not placed much nearer the centre than its present position.
This depends, however, on the original position of the wings. If they were raised above the head, the figure must have occupied a place nearer to the centre than it does at present. But it should be observed, that in Carrey's drawing of the eastern pediment this figure is not given, and, though Visconti states that it was found lying on the ground below the front of the temple, it has been contended that he may have been misinformed on this point, and that the figure so closely resembles one in the western pediment as drawn by Carrey and Dalton that it is probably the same. (Seeplate v., fig. 2, N, Michaelis, p. 175, pl. 7, fig. N, andHilfstafel, fig. N.) This resemblance may be admitted; but if, on this ground, we identify the torso of Nikè with the figure in the western pediment (N), which stands by the car of Amphitritè, we have a Victory associated with the side of Poseidon, which seems inconsistent with the entire conception of the western pediment. Moreover, the figure in Carrey's drawing has a scarf hanging from the left arm, which seems not in character with the type of Victory; and, further, Carrey gives no indication of wings. On the other hand, the composition in the eastern pediment would be incomplete if Nikè were not present to welcome the new-born Athenè. On the whole, therefore, there is strong reason for leaving this torso in the pediment to which it was originally assigned by Visconti. In recent years two valuable additions have been made tothis figure. The right thigh was identified and added in 1860, and the left knee in 1875. The figure is placed by Sauer in profile to the left.
Mus. Marbles, VI., pl. 9; Michaelis, pl. 6, figs. 14, 14a; Baumeister,Denkmaeler, p. 1182, fig. 1372.
303 K, L, M.Group of three female figures (or, perhaps, a group of two, with a third figure less closely associated, the figure K being made of a different block from L and M). The figures are seated on rocks, levelled on the top, and in the case of L, M, cut in step form to suit the composition. The rocks are covered with draperies. These three figures are considerably more complete in Carrey's drawings than now, and the motives can best be understood with the aid of the drawings. The figure K half turned her head towards the central scene. The right arm was bent at the elbow towards the front of the body. The figure L was headless in Carrey's time. The right arm, according to Carrey's drawing, was bent towards the right shoulder, as if the action had been that of drawing up the edge of the mantle with the right hand. The body of this figure is bent forward and the feet drawn far back, as would be the case with a person wishing to spring up. This motive forms a contrast to that of the reclining figure (M), whose right arm rests in her companion's lap, and whose tranquil attitude and averted gaze, shown by Carrey's drawing to have been directed towards the angle of the pediment, seem to indicate that the news of the birth has not yet reached her. K wears sandals, a chiton with diploïdion, and a mantle of thick substance which passes across the knees, and over the left shoulder, above which it may have been held with the left hand. L wears a fine chiton, confined with a cord beneath the arms, and a mantle covering the back and passing across the knees. M wears a finechiton, confined at the waist by a girdle, and has a mantle wrapped about her legs. She appears to have worn a bracelet on the right arm.
On comparing the composition of this triad with that of the triad placed next to Helios in the opposite half of the pediment a curious analogy of treatment may be observed. The so-called Theseus (D), like the reclining figure (M), seems to be quite unconscious of the great event which is being announced, and they are turned as by law of attraction to the groups of Day and Night which bound the scene on either side. The central figure on either triad seems only half aroused, while on either side the figure nearest the central action appears to have heard the news of the birth. If the triad near Selenè are the Three Fates, as Visconti and many of his successors have supposed, their place would more naturally be in the central part of the composition, or at least they might be supposed to be more on the alert with respect to what was passing. By others it has been argued that the place of this triad in immediate succession to Selenè, and the direction in which the figure nearest to the angle (M) is turned, would point to some mythic connection between these three figures and the Goddess of the Moon. Such a connection is suggested by the names given to the group by Welcker, who saw in them the three daughters of Cecrops, Aglauros, Hersè, and Pandrosos, mythic impersonations of the Dew, who have a conspicuous place in Attic legend, though Pandrosos alone of the three seems to have been honoured with worship at Athens. The same desire to connect this triad with Selenè has led Brunn (Ber. d. k. bayer. Akad. Phil. hist. Cl., 1874, ii., p. 16) to see in them personifications of clouds.
Among the writers who have regarded K as separate from L and M, the most common opinion has been that K is Hestia; L and M have been called Aphroditè inthe lap of Thalassa (Ronchaud), or of Peitho (Petersen), or Thalassa, the Sea, in the lap of Gaia, the Earth (Waldstein).
K.Mus. Marbles, VI., pl. 10; Michaelis, pl. 6, fig. 15; Murray, II., pl. 7; Mitchell,Selections, pl. 6;Stereoscopic, No. 108.
L. M.Mus. Marbles, VI., pl. 11; Baumeister,Denkmaeler, p. 1184, fig. 1374; Michaelis, pl. 6, fig. 16; Overbeck,Gr. Plast., 3rd ed., I., p. 308, fig. 63; Murray, II., pl. 7;Stereoscopic, No. 108; Waldstein,Essays, pl. 8; Mitchell,Selections, pl. 6.