FAH 313 WEEK 6 - The Contests of Athena & Poseidon

Title: Lysippan Poseidon

Date: ca. 330 BCE

Medium: statuette (bronze)

Artist: Lysippus

Location: In temple of Isthmia, cult statue

• court sculpture for Alexander the Great

• able to create torsion in back of sculpture

Description of art:

• torsion in back due to

  • right leg up on rock

  • right elbow resting on thigh

• anatomically precise

• attributes = similar to Zeus

  • beard

  • long shaggy hair

  • Trident held upwards

    • using it as support

    • causes changes in body disposition

    • shoulders + hips + torso = uneven height/disposition

    • pitch in body

  • gaze up and away

Title: Poseidon and Amphitrite Mosaic

Date: ca. 79 CE

Location: House of Neptune at Herculaneum

Description of art:

• preserved from ash after eruption of Mount Vesuvius

• colourful mosaic

• Poseidon

  • Trident

  • contrapposto

  • body weight placed on left leg

  • causes uneven pitch in knees, hips, torso, shoulders

  • looking up and off into distance = reminiscent of Lysippan Poseidon

  • blue mantle —> distinguish from Zeus (purple mantle)

  • holding fish/small dolphin

  • Blue + white hair (but in text = black)

• Amphitrite

  • Queen of the sea

  • Wife of Poseidon

  • similar to Aphrodite of Melos

    • exaggerated S-curve

    • dress stops at hips on a slante

    • Demonstrates beauty by comparison

  • stephane

  • blue mantle

  • sceptre

  • jewelry

Significance:

• look at Amphitrite’s hand gester

• formal unveiling = Anakalypteria

• similar to marriage scene between Hera and Zeus

• so it’s marriage scene between Amphitrite and Poseidon

Title: Athena Parthenos

Date: ca. 438 BCE

Location: Athens

Description of art:

• chryselephantine statue

  • made of gold + ivory

• Athena attributes:

  • triple crested helmet

  • spear

  • Shield

  • Aegis —> medusa’s head on it

  • holding Nike in right hand

    • victory over persians = Athens remains under Greek control

• Snake = associated with autochthony

  • related to emergence of King Erechtheus from ejaculate of Hephaistos

Title: Temple of Poseidon at Sounion

Date: ca. 444-440 BCE

Location: Sounion—> southernmost tip of Attica

Description of art:

• doric temple

  • circular capital

  • no column base = sits directly on stereobate (temple platform)

• 6 × 13 columns

• near silver mines of Lavrion

• Associated with Theseus and Aegeus → reason why the sea east of Sounion = Aegen sea

• sanctuary for sailors + sea travelers

• Plan = rectangular

  • Naos = dwelling of God

  • Pronaos = room before naos

• Graffiti = Byron

• Perfect location for Poseidon’s temple

  • 360 views of sea

  • almost feels isolated/cut off from rest of land.

Title: The Erechtheion

Date: ca. 430s BCE

Location: Athens

Description of art:

• Pentelic marble (pink) + blue Eleusinian limestone

• ionic temple

  • capital = scroll like = volutes

• not rectangular

  • porch sticking out from side = Caryatid Porch

  • divided naos = Athena Polias, Erectheus, Poseidon, and unknown god

• Caryatid Porch

  • women acting as columns

  • outer leg = weighted = straight down = act as columns

  • classic contrapposto

  • free leg = bent and shows through

• Stone frieze = would have been decorated

Title: Poseidon, Medusa, and Athena Bowl

Date: ca. 400 BCE

Location: Thebes, Boiotia, Greece

Description of art:

SIDE A:

• on left = Poseidon x2

• Gorgon on right with hands up

• Medusa on the left, head cut off

  • neck wound, blood gushing out

  • snakes sticking out of neck

• Pegasus top left

  • myth = emerges from Medusa’s blood

SIDE B:

• Perseus x2 = to show movement/dynamic

  • holding sickle + bag holding Medusa’s head

• Athena

  • triple crested helmet

  • Aspis written on shield = shield

  • aegis

  • spear

• What scene communicates:

  • Medusa turns into the most beautiful woman to a horrifying creature.