A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities Part 27

If B and C are Cecrops and one of his daughters, the two female figures (D, F), who in Carrey's drawing follow next, might be his other two daughters. The boy (E) between them would be, in that case, not the infant Iakchos between Demeter (D) and Kore (F), as several writers have supposed, but the young Erysichthon, son of Cecrops.

According to Brunn's scheme these three figures personify Lycabettos, between Pentelicon and Hymettos.

Of the three figures D, E, F, only one fragment, now at Athens, has been identified, representing the left knee of a seated figure, with the right hand of a boy resting on it, and thus corresponding with Carrey's drawing of the seated figure on whose knee the boy Erysichthon rests his right hand. A cast of this fragment is exhibited in a Wall-Case (No. 339, _8_). A fragment, now at Athens with the drapery on the right side of a figure seated on a rock, has been conjecturally a.s.signed by Michaelis (pl. 8, fig. 5) to figure D or U.

A cast is exhibited, No. 339, _7_.

In Dalton's drawing a draped female torso, broken off at the knees, is placed next to C, which Michaelis (p. 191), conjectures to be the remains of F. Dalton has represented this figure with the chiton slipped down from the right shoulder so as to show the right breast and side. But the drawing by Pars shows next to C a part of a figure which accords more with D as drawn by Carrey. This fragment consists of a right arm bent at a right angle and advanced, and a line of drapery falling down the right side below the armpit. There is no reason to doubt that the figure to which the arm belonged was in position on the pediment when Pars drew it, and, if so, Dalton's drawing must be wholly inaccurate in respect to this figure. (See Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 2.)

[Sidenote: =304 G.=]

Next in order in Carrey's drawing is the seated female figure (G), who acts as charioteer to Athene, and who has been generally recognised as Nike. The only fragment which can be attributed with any probability to this figure is the head, obtained from Venice by Count de Laborde (No. 339, _1_). A cast is exhibited in the Elgin Room.

[Sidenote: =304 H.=]

Hermes (?).--In the background, between the figure G and the horses, Carrey gives a male figure (H), who looks back at the charioteer, while he moves forward in the same direction as the horses. The figure drawn by Carrey has been generally recognised in the torso in the Museum which has lost the head and lower limbs since Carrey's time, and is probably the same torso which Dalton represents lying on the bed of the pediment. This figure has been called Erechtheus, Erichthonios, Ares, Cecrops, Theseus, Pan, or Hermes. He is evidently aiding the charioteer in the management of the horses; an office very appropriate to Hermes, whose general character as a guide is expressed by such epithets as [Greek: pompaios], and who on other monuments is represented conducting a chariot.

The drapery which hangs at the back of the torso evidently represents a chlamys, which must have been fastened in front just above the left clavicle, where a hole is pierced to receive a metallic fastening.

There is another hole between the collar-bones. The right arm was probably advanced nearly in a horizontal direction; the left arm may have had the elbow a little drawn back; and a portion of the chlamys evidently pa.s.sed round this arm, and was probably twisted round it, a fas.h.i.+on of drapery characteristic of Hermes. Among the fragments of the Parthenon at Athens is a small piece of the left shoulder of this figure, a cast of which has been adjusted to the marble in the Museum.

The remains of the left thigh show that the left leg was advanced as in Carrey's drawing. The fragments described below, Nos. 339, _9_, and 339, _10_, may belong to this figure. A fragment of plinth, with two feet, sometimes a.s.signed to it, is described below, No. 329.

_Mus. Marbles_, VI., pl. 15; Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 3.

[Sidenote: =304 L, M.=]

Athene and Poseidon.--The Athene of which L is the remnant is drawn by Carrey moving rapidly to the left; her right arm, broken off above the elbow, is advanced horizontally in the same direction. Her left arm is broken off below the shoulder; she wears a long chiton, over which is a diplodion, reaching to the hips, and falling in a fold over the girdle. The aegis, folded like a narrow band, pa.s.ses obliquely across the bosom between the b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and has extended from the right shoulder round the left side, and probably across the back. It is scalloped on its lower edge, and at the points holes are pierced for the attachment of serpents of metal. In the centre of the aegis is another hole, in which a circular object six inches in diameter, doubtless a Gorgoneion, has been fixed. Carrey's drawing shows the base of the neck, which was broken off before the time of Lord Elgin.

It has been recognised among the fragments on the Acropolis, and a cast of it is now adjusted to the marble. It is evident from this that the head of the G.o.ddess was turned towards her antagonist.

_Mus. Marbles_, VI., pl. 16; Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 13.

[Sidenote: =304 M.=]

The torso of Poseidon is made up of three parts. The fragment with the shoulders and upper part of the chest was removed by Lord Elgin; the fragment containing the remainder of the breast and the abdomen nearly to the navel has been since discovered, and the original is at Athens.

Since this torso was engraved in the work of Michaelis (pl. 8, fig.

16), a small piece has been added to the lower part of the abdomen.

It appears from Carrey's drawing that Poseidon was starting back in a direction contrary to that of Athene, with the weight of his body thrown on the left knee, which is bent. Carrey's drawing shows the same portion of the right upper arm, which is preserved. It is raised with the shoulder and may have been extended in a nearly horizontal direction. The head in Carrey's drawing is slightly inclined over the right shoulder. At the back the upper part of the shoulders is roughly cut away; the chiselling does not appear to be ancient, but may have been done after the figure had fallen from the pediment. The upper part of this torso is remarkable for the grandeur of the lines.

_Mus. Marbles_, VI., pl. 17; Lower part, Michaelis, pl. 8, fig.

16; Laborde, _Le Parthenon_. The two parts are combined, Overbeck, _Gr. Plast._, 3rd ed., I., p. 312, fig. 65; _Stereoscopic_, No.

101.

Though we know from Pausanias that the strife between Athene and Poseidon for the soil of Attica was the subject of the western pediment, the exact action represented by the central group cannot be determined. Most writers suppose that the combatants have produced their respective tokens, and that the strife is just decided. Among the fragments found on the Acropolis were three which are certainly parts of an olive-tree (Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 15). The scale of these fragments, casts of which are exhibited (see below, Nos. 339, _15-17_), would be suitable for a tree placed in the centre of the pediment between the two contending deities. If these fragments belong to the Parthenon (of which there is no positive proof), it seems natural to suppose that Athene is represented as having produced her olive, which stood in the centre of the pediment, and was fixed in a rectangular socket, well adapted to support it (Sauer, _Athenische Mittheilungen_, xvi., pl. 3, p. 72). In this case the two G.o.ds are seen starting asunder, but looking inwards, after the decisive moment.

The salt spring produced by the trident of Poseidon may also have had a place in the composition, though no trace of it is to be found either among the fragments or in Carrey's drawing.

The chief divergent theory is that of Stephani, who published a vase-painting representing the contest (_Compte Rendu_, 1872, pl.

1, p. 5; _Journ. of h.e.l.lenic Studies_, iii., p. 245). In that design Poseidon and Athene form an antagonistic group, which in composition presents some resemblance with the central group in the pediment. The olive-tree is placed between them, and Poseidon controls, with his left hand, the upspringing horse. Stephani argues from the vase-painting that Pheidias made Poseidon produce the horse--a variant tradition, of which there are traces in late literature--that Poseidon was represented striking the ground with his trident and Athene striking it with her lance to produce the tokens, which are shown, by antic.i.p.ation, in the pediment itself. It is more likely that on the vase the tokens have been produced and Poseidon attacks, while Athene defends the olive. But neither in the protagonists nor in the rest of the design on the vase is there that close correspondence in type and action which would justify the conclusion that the vase-painter copied directly any portion of the pedimental composition. On the other hand, considerable portions of the bodies of three horses in addition to those represented by casts in the British Museum (No. 341) have been discovered in the excavations on the Acropolis (Sauer, _Athenische Mittheilungen_, xvi., pl. 3, p. 73), and there can be little doubt that the figure known as Amphitrite (O) acted as the charioteer of Poseidon, and drove a pair of horses which corresponded closely to the team of Athene, and completed the symmetry of the composition.

Inasmuch therefore as each deity has a similar pair of horses, it is impossible to regard those of Poseidon as his distinctive token in the combat.

If we a.s.sume that this second pair of horses was attached to the chariot of Poseidon, room may be found for a representation of the salt spring either between the left leg of the Sea-G.o.d and the forelegs of his chariot horses, or beneath the horses.

For the vase picture already referred to, see also de Witte, in the _Monuments Grecs de l'a.s.sociation pour l'encouragement des etudes Grecques_, No. 4, 1875; Brunn, _Sitzungsber. d. k. bayer.

Akad. Phil.-hist. Cl._, 1876, p. 477; and Petersen, _Arch. Zeit._, 1875, p. 115. For more recent discussions on the subject of the dispute between Athene and Poseidon, see Robert in _Hermes_, XVI., p. 60, and in _Athenische Mittheilungen_, VII., p. 48; Petersen in _Hermes_, XVII., p. 124; E. A. Gardner, in _Journ. of h.e.l.len.

Studies_, III., p. 244; Wolters, p. 259.

[Sidenote: =304 N.=]

This figure, which may have been a Nereid, has been entirely lost since the time of Dalton, unless we identify it with the supposed Victory of the east pediment. (See No. 303 J.)

[Sidenote: =304 O.=]

Amphitrite.--In Carrey's drawing this torso appears as a seated figure, the right foot on a higher level than the left, the left arm drawn back as if holding the reins; between the feet appears the head either of a dolphin or a marine monster. The head, left hand, and apparently the right arm of Amphitrite are wanting. According to Dalton's imperfect drawing, the figure had in his time lost the left forearm and left leg. The torso at present wants the head, right arm from the shoulder, left arm from below the shoulder, and all the lower limbs except the upper part of the left thigh. The body is clad in a long chiton without sleeves; an upper fold falls over the bosom as low as the waist, pa.s.sing under a broad girdle such as would be suitable for charioteers. A small mantle pa.s.ses obliquely across the back, one end pa.s.sing over the left shoulder and under the left arm; the other had pa.s.sed over the right shoulder. The places where metallic ornaments were attached on this figure are marked by five holes pierced in the marble, one of which is on the base of the neck, one on the right shoulder at the fastening of the chiton, and three on the left shoulder. On the inside of the left thigh are folds of fine drapery; the surface of the outside still shows that the chiton had been open at the side, _schistos_, as in Carrey's drawing. It should be noted that this figure was not seated, as Carrey has drawn it, but must have been standing with the body thrown back and the arms extended in front, like the charioteer (No. 33) in the north frieze.

_Mus. Marbles_, VI., pl. 18; Michaelis. pl. 8, figs. 18, 18_a_.

[Sidenote: =304 P, Q.=]

Leucothea, with boy (?).--Lower limbs of a seated female figure, which in Carrey's drawing appears on the right of the Amphitrite, and which then had its head. The head of the female figure looks out of the pediment; the feet are placed very close together. In Dalton's drawing this figure is still in position, but headless. In its present state, nothing remains of this figure but the lap and legs to the ankles. On the right of the figure, the body of a youth (P) appears in Carrey's drawing. The beginning of the right thigh, with the lower part of the b.u.t.tock, is still preserved; of the left thigh, the outline as far as the knee is preserved on the marble. Three fingers of his right hand may still be traced on the right knee of the female figure (Q), where they rest on an end of drapery, probably his himation, which reappears, wound round his left thigh. These remains show that the body of this boy faced the right side of the female figure, pressing against her. If we a.s.sume that she is a marine G.o.ddess, the name Leucothea seems the best attribution, and the youth at her side would then be Palaemon. A mantle is thrown over the thighs, falling down between the knees over the chiton. The folds are deeply undercut, as if to express the gentle agitation of the drapery by the movement of a light breeze. In Brunn's topographical scheme, P Q are the coast of Attica from Munychia to the Piraeus.

_Mus. Marbles_, VI., pl. 19; Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 19.

[Sidenote: =304 R.=]

A figure of a child appears in Carrey's drawing on the right of the figure Q. It is doubtful whether it should be a.s.sociated most nearly with Q or with the figure next on the right (S). On the former supposition, the figure called above Leucothea has been interpreted as Leto with Apollo and Artemis; as Leda with the Dioscuri; or as Fostering Earth, [Greek: Ge Kourotrophos], with children. On the latter supposition R has generally been called Eros a.s.sociated with Aphrodite (S).

[Sidenote: =304 S, T.=]

Next in Carrey's drawing comes a draped female figure (T), seated, in whose lap is a naked figure (S), supposed by Carrey to be female.

This is generally supposed to be Thala.s.sa, the Sea; the almost entire nudity of the figure in her lap (S) makes it probable that Aphrodite is here represented; her position in the lap of Thala.s.sa would be a way of expressing her sea-born origin. According to Brunn, T is a personification of Cape Colias, and the figure of Aphrodite indicates a shrine of that G.o.ddess which stood on the cape. If, as seems probable, the naked female figure is Aphrodite, the boy (R) is probably Eros. Both the female figures were still in the pediment when Dalton drew it. The marble fragment (T), representing the right thigh of a draped female figure seated on a rock, is probably the only extant remnant of Thala.s.sa. A mantle has been brought round the lower limbs of this figure, so that one edge of it falls on the rock on which she is seated. This disposition of the drapery is indicated in Carrey's drawing. (Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 20.)

[Sidenote: =304 U.=]

Next in Carrey's drawing comes a female figure (U), seated and draped.

This had fallen out of the pediment when Dalton drew it, and no fragment of it can now be identified. It had lost the head and arms in Carrey's time. The figure presents no distinctive characteristic by which she may be identified. She is probably a marine deity. Brunn interprets her as a personification of Cape Zoster.

[Sidenote: =304 V, W.=]

Ilissos or Kephissos and Callirrhoe (?).--(Casts) The draped female figure (W) reclining in the extreme angle of the pediment appears in Carrey's drawing leaning on her right elbow, and with her head turned towards the male figure (V) who kneels on both knees, inclining his body towards his companion, and leaning on his left arm. The manner in which these figures are here a.s.sociated suggests an intimate relation between the two; the female figure has all the characteristics of a local Nymph, and the flow of her drapery would well accord with an aquatic type. It seems probable, therefore, that the celebrated Athenian fountain Callirrhoe may be personified by this figure, and in that case the male figure next to her (V), though not in the reclining att.i.tude usually characteristic of River-G.o.ds, may be the Ilissos, out of whose bed the fountain Callirrhoe rises. Brunn holds that V is a personification of the Attic coast, Paralia. This, however, appears, from a recently-discovered inscription, to be represented as female (_Athenische Mittheilungen_, xiii., p. 221); W according to the same archaeologist is a personification of the Myrtoan Sea. Dalton's drawing shows no indication of either of these figures, though the lower half of the Callirrhoe is to this day in position on the pediment. The torso of the male figure had been broken, and was found in two places in the excavations on the Acropolis in 1833. The head, arms, and left leg have disappeared since Carrey's time. The right leg is doubled up under the figure; the left knee must have been somewhat higher. This figure is nude with the exception of a chlamys which falls down the back and pa.s.ses in front over the right ankle. For a fragment which may belong to the left hand, see No. 339, _20_. This agrees with the statement of Sauer (_Athenische Mittheilungen_, 1891, p. 81), that the figure leant with open hand on the ground.

The female figure (W) is reclining on her right side; the right knee has been more bent than the left. The upper part of the body seems, from the direction of the folds of the drapery, to have been slightly raised, and to have rested on the right elbow, as represented in Carrey's drawing. The dress is a long chiton, over which falls a diplodion nearly to the waist. All that remains of the figure are the right side from below the arm to a little below the right hip, and parts of both legs wanting the knees. According to Carrey the left arm of this figure was raised so that the hand projected beyond the cornice. Between the figures V and W a hole is pierced in the bed of the pediment, in which some bronze object was inserted.

Figure V., Laborde, _Le Parthenon_; Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 21; Figure W., Michaelis, pl. 8, fig. 22.

METOPES OF THE PARTHENON.

The metopes of the Parthenon are sculptured blocks which were inserted in the s.p.a.ces, _met[)o]pae_, left between the ends of the beams of the roof. These ends were represented by slabs, called _triglyphs_, from the three parallel vertical bands cut in them. Reference to the model of the Parthenon will show the relative position of the metopes and triglyphs.