Title
Preview
Class Name and Date
Art 230: Ancient Art. Fall 2015
Format Type
Sculpture
Time Period
Classical Period
Theme
Issues of Repatriation with Late Classical Greek Art
Media
Marble
Description
447-438 B.C.E.
The Elgin Marbles have been a subject of dispute for years now and have “attracted enormous attention from scholars and the public, mainly because of its involvement in the politics of restitution of cultural heritage.”[1] This is because about half of the original frieze is in the British Museum and the other half is in Athens.[2]
The Parthenon was originally dedicated to Athena, but later it became the church of the Virgin Mary of the Athenians, and even later it was a mosque.[3]
“During the Roman period, the monument… lost its original meaning but it continued to remain the focus of attention with the erection of the honorary monuments and inscriptions for political leaders in an attempt to use the cultural capital of classical antiquity for the legitimization of authority and the negotiation of political and social roles.”[4]
On the East Pediment are displayed the three goddesses attending the birth of Athena, dating around 447-438 B.C.E..[5] The West Pediment shows the dispute between Athena and Poseidon for patronage over Athens.[6] Ultimately, Athena wins, as the Parthenon is dedicated to her. Looking at the birth of Athena, the drapery is very detailed and extravagant. The way in which it falls on each of the figures describes their bodies, making them appear extraordinarily ideal. There is also a lot of bunching of the drapery around the waste and legs. This interaction between the drapery and the body is mirrored by the interaction between the figures themselves. The three figures interact with each other physically as Athena leans on the other figure. The height and pose of each figure is directly correlated to their position on the frieze. For example, the figures in the middle of the frieze stand the tallest while towards the edges, the figures start to sit or lie down. In other words, the pose and position of the figures compliment the triangular shape of the pediment.
Looking at the center figures of the West Pediment we see on the right, Athena. Athena is about to be crowned the winner while Poseidon, holding the trident will have lost this dispute. Like with the birth of Athena, the drapery is very elaborate and describes each of the bodies, almost more so than if they were to be nude. The figures also dramatically interact with each other, reaching out, turning and leaning. However, typical of the high Classical, their faces, remain calm, displaying the deity-related placid and ideal state of being.
The significance of the Parthenon as the central focal point of the High Classical period makes these Elgin marbles significant. This is why their location is controversial. “The argument over the sculptures… has been unremitting since Thomas Bruce, the seventh earl of Elgin, carried off 56 pieces of its frieze, 15 metopes, and 17 pediment sculptures.”[7] Since the 1980s, the Greek government has wanted the pieces from the Parthenon to be returned. However the British Museum wants to have the pieces from the Parthenon as a part of their wide and diverse collection, and because of its significance in history. They claim that displaying the Ancient Greek marbles as they do now shows the significance of Ancient Greece as a great culture.[8]
Bibliography
Boardman, John. Greek Art. New York: Oxford University Press, 1978.
Brysac, Shareen Blair. The Parthenon Marbles Custody Case: Did British restorers mutilate the famous sculptures? In Archaeology, Vol. 52, No. 3. 74-77. Archaeological Institute of America. 1999. Accessed November 21, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41779253
Hamilakis, Yannis. Stories from Exile: Fragments from the Cultural Biography of the Parthenon (‘or Elgin’) Marbles. In World Archaeology, Vol 31, No. 2. 303-320. Taylor & Francis. 1999. Accessed November 21, 2015. http://www.jstor.org/stable/125064
“The Parthenon Sculptures.” The British Museum. Accessed November 21, 2015. http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/statements/parthenon_sculpture -s.aspx
Image Source: Puffin.creighton.edu
[1] Yannis Hamilakis, Stories from Exile: Fragments from the Cultural Biography of the
Parthenon (‘or Elgin’) Marbles, in World Archaeology, Vol 31, No. 2., 303, Taylor & Francis, 1999, accessed November 21, 2015, http://www.jstor.org/stable/125064.
[2] Yannis Hamilakis, Stories from Exile: Fragments from the Cultural Biography of the
Parthenon (‘or Elgin’) Marbles, 305.
[3] “The Parthenon Sculptures,” The British Museum, accessed November 21, 2015,
http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/statements/parthenon_sculpture-s.aspx
[4] Yannis Hamilakis, Stories from Exile: Fragments from the Cultural Biography of the
Parthenon (‘or Elgin’) Marbles, 306.
[5] John Boardman, Greek Art, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978), 118.
[6] John Boardman, Greek Art, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978), 118.
[7] Shareen Blair Brysac, The Parthenon Marbles Custody Case: Did British restorers mutilate the famous sculptures? In Archaeology, Vol. 52, No. 3. 74, Archaeological Institute of America, 1999, accessed November 21, 2015, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41779253.
[8] “The Parthenon Sculptures,” The British Museum, accessed November 21, 2015,
http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/news_and_press/statements/parthenon_sculpture-s.aspx.