Late classical prescribed statues

Eirene and Ploutos

Height? Date? Material? Location?

• Height: 2.01m, over life size

• Date: 375-370 BC

• Material: Roman marble copy of lost bronze original

• Location: The original bronze statue was set up in the Agora of Athens

Who made Eirene and Ploutos?

Kephisodotos

What do the names Eirene and Ploutos mean? Who is who?

Eirene (peace) is bearing Ploutos (wealth) in her arms.

Eirene and Ploutos

Why was this statue made? What was its purpose?

It was set up in the Agora of Athens following a peace agreement between Sparta and Athens.

Eirene and Ploutos

What values and ideals was Kephisodotos communicating to his Greek audience through this statue?

• Wealth

• Peace

• Didactic: Idealised image of motherhood in the eyes of the contemporary viewer

Eirene and Ploutos

In what ways has Kephisodotos humanised these two gods? (Anthropormorphism)

• Eirene’s shoulders and hips are inclined towards the baby → intimate and naturalistic display of love

• Ploutos responds to Eirene’s attention by turning his head towards his mother making their eyes interlock

• Posture of familiarity with Eirene holding the baby on her hip

Eirene and Ploutos

What makes this statue aesthetically pleasing?

• Idealised image of motherhood, shows a narrative→ e.g. the contrapposto pose angles the hips and shoulders of the mother towards the baby while the baby turns his head in response to the attention

• Detailed and intricate drapery makes it highly naturalistic→ e.g. The modelling lines used on the upper drapery of the peplos and himation creates a caternary shape and shows how the drapery curves and reacts to Eirene’s movement and figure. Wet drapery technique seen on the knee and thigh. Typical of the 4th century.

• Display of sculptor’s techne→ e.g. It is a group composition, contrapposto pose is dynamic

Eirene and Ploutos

What makes this statue less aesthetically pleasing?

• The baby’s head is abnormally small and out of proportion

• The lower peplos appears doughy and thick due to fluting

Eirene and Ploutos → Scholarly quotes

What does Boardman say about this statue?

‘Her maternal concern is indicated by the poise of her head’

The Antikytheran Youth

Height? Date? Material? Location?

• Height: 1.94m, slightly larger than life size

• Date: c.340 BC

• Material: Bronze original with inlaid eyes

• Location: Found in a wreck off the island of Antikythera by sponge divers in 1900

What is the debate about the Antikytheran Youth?

Critics are not sure if the statue is depicting Perseus holding the head of the Gorgon or Paris about to give the golden apple to Aphrodite.

Antikytheran Youth

What features point to this statue being Perseus?

The statue’s emphatically muscular physique suits the hero who was renowned for his heroic feats e.g the muscular torso and exaggerated abdominal muscles. The tense back muscles suggest he’s holding a heavy head with fingers curved gripping snakes.

Antikytheran Youth

What features point to this statue being Paris?

The shape of his right hand e.g the fingers are curved around the missing prop suggesting it is a small circular object. His thoughtful solemn gaze upon the apple may signify the severity of his decision.

The Antikytheran Youth

What makes this statue aesthetically pleasing?

• The in-laid eyes display the sculptors techne as he is able to work skillfully with different mediums. The eyes are also very emotive and naturalistic

• The extended arm breaking the frontal plane with the head turned towards his hand. The use of the contrapposto pose creating a reverse ‘S’ curve. The whole body seems to curve and react to the prop in his hands exemplifying its significance.

• Facial expression e.g. pursued lips, furrowed brows

• Shine of the bronze e.g advanced medium, display of wealth, lost wax casting method

• Robust burly nature of the muscles e.g taut abdominals, defined iliac crest

The Antikytheran Youth

What makes this statue less aesthetically pleasing?

• Exaggerated anatomy e.g. elongated arms and smaller head

• Loss of prop: fundamental part of statue’s narrative

The Antikytheran Youth → Scholarly Quotes

What does Woodford say about this sculpture?

She describes how breaking the frontal plane ‘gives the figure a more intimate relationship with the space surrounding it’

Hermes and Dionysus

Height? Date? Material? Location?

• Height: 2.11m, over life size

• Date: 343 BC

• Material: Marble Roman or Hellenistic copy? OR Marble original

• Location: The archeological museum of Olympia

Who created Hermes and Dionysus?

Praxiteles

What is the context behind Hermes and Dionysus?

When Zeus revealed himself to his mortal lover Semele she was at once incinerated by his divine radiance. Zeus rescued their unborn child, Dionysus, by sweeping him within his own thigh. After Dionysus’ 2ND BIRTH Zeus ordered Hermes to hide the baby from his jealous wife Hera.

This sculpture depicts the messenger as he carried the baby to the mountain of nymphs. In this sculpture Hermes teases Dionysus by dangling grapes out of the baby’s reach.

Hermes and Dionysus

What makes this statue aesthetically pleasing?

• Relatable human activity, despite being gods: a sibling teasing another sibling with food e.g Hermes relaxed lighter teasing arm

• Polykleitos’ Contrapposto has been adapted to create the Praxitelean ‘s’ curve which enhances the narrative e.g. Hermes right hip juts out to the right moving the figure further away from the baby teasingly

• Emotive and human aspects seen in the two gods e.g. their heads are turned towards each other in brotherly affection

• Subtle smooth integrated musculature displays techne. Praxiteles would polish the marble to make it shine and have light reflect off the statue.

Hermes and Dionysus

What makes this statue less aesthetically pleasing?

• Tree stump support (low tensile strength of marble) and it undermines the sculpture’s in the round nature

• The head of baby Dionysus is abnormally small

• It’s fractured nature with the arm of Hermes broken off takes away from the narrative

Hermes and Dionysus→ Scholarly Quotes

What does Woodford say about Hermes and Dionysus?

‘relaxed, languid pose’

Aphrodite of Knidos

Height? Date? Material? Location?

• Height: 2.04m

• Date: c.350-330 BC

• Material: Roman Marble copy of lost marble statue

• Location: It was set up in a tholos at the Temples of Aphrodite at Knidos

What did the Aphrodite of Knidos do first?

This was the first monumental Greek representation of a female nude.

Who sculpted the Aphrodite of Knidos?

Praxiteles. It was supposedly based of a women called Phryne

Aphrodite of Knidos

How and why was this statue commissioned?

According to the Elder Pliny Praxiteles received a commission from the citizens of Kos for a statue of Aphrodite.

Praxiteles then created two versions- one fully draped, and the other completely nude.

The nude which was rejected by the people of Kos was purchased by the citizens of Knidos and set up in an open-air round temple (a tholos) that permitted viewing of the statue from all sides

Aphrodite of Knidos

What makes her aesthetically pleasing?

• Contemporary audiences would appreciate the modest pose which humanises her e.g. the slight curve of her spine inwards causing her to crouch, the right hand positioned over her groin, her two thighs pressed together

• Her nudity is justified through the narrative of her taking a bath seen in the props e.g. hair up in a fillet, lackadaisical arm dropping the drapery onto the hydria, fingers curved around the drapery

• Smooth rounded planes of the marble make her skin seem to glow and appear more naturalistic e.g. calves, buttocks, hips, breasts

• Calm serene facial expression e.g. oval face, curved eyebrows, pursued lips

• Adapted contrapposto pose giving her the praxitelean ‘s’ curve shows techne e.g. jutted out right hip

• In the round viewing makes her accessible and more real to the audience

Aphrodite of Knidos

What makes her less aesthetically pleasing?

• The use of marble which has a low tensile strength means she requires a bridge support and the support of the hydria and drapery. The sculpture is reliant on them to stay up right.

• Fractured nature due to marble means she has had to have been glued back together e.g. at the knees and top of her left arm

Aphrodite of Knidos→ Scholarly Quotes

What does Woodford say about this sculpture?

‘The limp inert drapery and the rigid water-jar contrast with the soft living body of the goddess’

Lysippos’ Apoxyomenos

Height? Date? Material? Location?

• Height: 2.05m

• Date: c.330 BC

• Material: Roman copy of a lost bronze original

• Location:

What activity is Lysippos’ Apoxyomenos doing?

Apoxyomenos means ‘the man scraping himself’. Athletes in Ancient Greece would rub themselves down with oil before exercise and afterwards scrape oil, dirt and sweat off together with a scraper or strigil.

Lysippos’ Apoxyomenos

What makes this statue aesthetically pleasing?

• It breaks the frontal plane and is in the round which shows techne and makes him more lifelike e.g. right action arm thrusted forward

• The wiry Lyssipian ‘s’ curve created by the adapted contrapposto gives him a casual lackadaisical pose which creates naturalism and suggests he has just finished his exercise

• Tired worn out facial expression enhances the narrative as it suggests the athlete has just finished his exercise e.g. the plump oval face and chin, tilted head, defined eyelids, unruly hair → also shows age differentiation and youth

• Relatable humble activity of an athlete scraping oil off with a stirgil

• Idealised male athletic figure e.g. defined abdominals and iliac crests made smooth through rounded planes

Lysippos’ Apoxyomenos

What makes this statue less aesthetically pleasing?

• 2.05m, he is over life size, unrealistic

• Elongated legs due to 1:7 head to body ratio

• Support stump

• Fractured nature

Lysippos’ Apoxyomenos → Scholarly Quotes

What does Woodford say about this statue?

‘visually exciting from a multitude of viewpoints’

UNPRESCRIBED

Raging Maenad

Height? Date? Material?

• Height: 0.45M

• Date: c.350 BC

• Material: lost marble original

UNPRESCRIBED

Raging Maenad

Who made this statue?

Skopas

UNPRESCRIBED

What is aesthetically pleasing about Skopas’ Raging Maenad?

• Catenary on upper drapery

• Transparency over breasts

• Head turned and raised looking up into the sky

UNPRESCRIBED

Apollo the Lizard Slayer

Height? Date? Material?

• Height: 1.49M

• Date: original is dated to 350 BC

• Material: Roman marble copy of a lost bronze original

UNPRESCRIBED

Who sculpted Apollo the Lizard Slayer?

Praxiteles

UNPRESCRIBED

What makes Praxiteles’ Apollo the Lizard-Slayer aesthetically pleasing?

• The adapted contrapposto with the fine balance of tense vs relaxed limbs to produce the Praxitelean ‘s’ curve

• Smooth polished marble on his androgynous underdeveloped muscles→ Shows age differentiation

• Turned and tilted head with a serene controlled facial expression

• Killing a lizard= A display of arete