1000 Scupltures of Genius. Patrick Bade
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the Ides of March, 44 B.C.E. This portrait expresses not only Caesar’s likeness, but also his character. We sense his strength, intelligence and nobility. The bust follows the Republican tradition of veristic portraiture.
3. Anonymous. The “Auxerre Kore”, c. 640–630 B.C.E. Limestone, h: 75 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (France). Greek Antiquity.
In the seventh century B.C.E., Greek sculptors first began to create large-scale sculpture in stone. The tradition grew out of the production of small bronze and terracotta figurines, produced in Greece as early as the tenth century B.C.E. With this piece, the artist changed the conception of sculpture, from small, portable figurines to large, free-standing sculpture, of the type so well-known in later Greek art. In this early example, which stands less than a metre high, the influence of Egypt can be seen in the patterned, wig-like hairstyle and the stiff, frontal stance. She is modestly dressed in a long, patterned gown and shawl, simply adorned with a broad belt. Her hand is raised to her chest in a reverent gesture. Most likely created for placement in a sanctuary, this “Kore,” or female figure, would have represented either a devout young woman, or a goddess to whom a prayer was offered.
4. Anonymous. Kleobis and Biton, Apollo Sanctuary, Delphi (Greece), c. 610–580 B.C.E. Marble, h: 218 cm. Archaeological Museum of Delphi, Delphi (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
Kleobis and Biton are life-size statues that were found in the sanctuary at Delphi. An inscription identifies the artist as coming from Argos, on the Peloponnesus. The sculptures’ origin in Argos links them to the mythical twins Kleobis and Biton. These young men from Argos were said to pull a cart a full five miles in order to bring their mother to a festival dedicated to the goddess Hera. In return, Hera granted the men what was seen as a great gift: a gentle death while sleeping. The brothers fell asleep after the festival and never woke up. Their great strength, devotion to their mother, and their early deaths were memorialised in dedicatory statues offered at the great sanctuary at Delphi, according to the historian Herodotus. These statues, which may be those described by Herodotus, are close in date to the Dipylon Head and share the same Egyptian style and decorative, incised details.
5. Anonymous. Moschophoros, called the “Calf Bearer”, Acropolis, Athens (Greece), c. 570 B.C.E. Marble, h: 164 cm. Acropolis Museum, Athens (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
6. Anonymous. The Sounion Kouros, Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion (Greece), c. 600 B.C.E. Marble, h: 305 cm. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
7. Anonymous. The Naxian Sphinx, Earth Sanctuary, Delphi (Greece), c. 560 B.C.E. Marble, h: 232 cm. Archaeological Museum of Delphi, Delphi (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
This graceful creature is a composite of a lion, an eagle, and a woman. The grace and beauty of the sphinx emphasises its strength: this fierce creature was intended to protect all that it could oversee from its position atop a high column. The column and sphinx were erected as a votive offering by the people of Naxos at the sanctuary of Delphi. Such votive offerings, which could also include figurines and statues, reflect the “quid pro quo” nature of the Greeks’ relationship with their gods. They would ask a god for something, promising a votive gift if they got what they asked for. The sanctuary at Delphi was a popular location for this sort of prayer; people from all over Greece would go there to consult the oracle of the Temple of Apollo before they undertook any important act. If they received favour from Apollo, they would leave a votive offering.
8. Anonymous. Dipylon Head, Dipylon, Athens (Greece), c. 600 B.C.E. Marble, h: 44 cm. National Archaeological Museum of Athens, Athens (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
This fragment is a rare early example of the “kouros”, or standing male statue. Its name comes from the Dipylon Cemetery in Athens where it was found. There, in the sixth century B.C.E., statues were sometimes used as grave markers. While female statues were modestly dressed, the male versions were nude, perhaps indicating a god or a hero. Like the Auxerre Kore, these statues developed both from a local tradition of small figurines, and from the Egyptian tradition of large stone sculpture. The early date of this piece is revealed through the style, which is more decorative than realistic. The eyes and eyebrows are deeply-incised, the contours of the face are flat, and shape of the ear is indicated with concentric, curved lines. The hair is patterned in an Egyptian manner and held back with a band. Over the course of the sixth century, Greek sculpture would lose this patterned, decorative quality and become increasingly realistic and lifelike.
9. Anonymous. Kore dedicated to Hera by Cheramyes of Samos, c. 570–560 B.C.E. Marble, h: 192 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (France). Greek Antiquity.
This kore is best understood through comparison to the earlier Auxerre Kore. It continues the tradition sculpting the standing female in stone, but shows the development in the art form. This kore, like the earlier example, is modestly draped in a long gown and a shawl, but the form of her body is more visible underneath, especially the curves of her shoulders, breasts, and belly. The sculptor has drawn attention to these forms by showing how the clothing gathers, pleats and falls as it drapes over the woman’s body. Instead of the heavy, patterned woollen peplos worn by the Auxerre Kore, this kore wears a chiton, a tightly pleated, lightweight garment made of linen. The pleats are shown in detail, creating a vertical pattern that contrasts with the diagonal drapery of the shawl. This attention to the patterns of drapery would continue to characterise female sculpture in Greece over the coming centuries.
10. Anonymous. Ornithe, Geneleos Group, Heraion of Samos, Samos (Greece), c. 560–550 B.C.E. Marble, h: 168 cm.Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin (Germany). Greek Antiquity.
11. Anonymous. Kore, Keratea, c. 570–560 B.C.E. Marble, h: 193 cm.Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Berlin (Germany). Greek Antiquity.
12. Anonymous. Kore 679, called the “Peplos Kore”, Acropolis, Athens (Greece), c. 530 B.C.E. Marble, traces of painting, h: 118 cm. Acropolis Museum, Athens (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
Known as the Peplos Kore, this piece was another victim of the Persian invasion, found buried in the ruins of the Acropolis in Athens. While her heavy garment hangs straight over her body, the sculptor has taken care to show the curves of her shoulders, breasts, and hips. Underneath the straight skirt, she wears the lightweight, crinkly linen chiton. Her full face has more life and realism in it than earlier korai. The vitality of the piece is heightened, for the modern viewer, by the remains of paint on the statue, and also through the very slight movement shown through the upraised arm and the left leg, which steps very slightly forward.
13. Anonymous. Kore 671, Acropolis, Athens (Greece), c. 520 B.C.E. Marble, h: 177 cm. Acropolis Museum, Athens (Greece). Greek Antiquity.
14. Anonymous. Kouros, called the “Apollo from Tenea”, c. 560–550 B.C.E. Marble, h: 153 cm. Glyptothek, Munich. Greek Antiquity.
15. Anonymous. Head of a Cavalier called the “Cavalier Rampin”, Acropolis, Athens (Greece), c. 550 B.C.E. Marble, traces of painting, h: 27 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (France). Greek Antiquity.
When the Persians attacked Athens in 480 B.C.E., they destroyed the Acropolis, setting fire to the great temples it held. The scorched and