The West pediment- the side most visible when ascending the Athenian Acropolis- depicts the contest between Athena and her uncle Poseidon to determine who would become the patron Greek god of Athens. They are shown with the horses that pulled their chariots across the sky, suggesting that the birth of Athena occurred at dawn: a time when both the sun and the moon are visible. The two outermost figures are Helios and Selene, the deities of the sun and the moon. This version is one of several acceptable interpretations of the 1920s. It is almost impossible to know exactly how many figures representing which gods and goddesses were in the original grouping, and scholars often propose new arrangements and identifications. The pediment shows Nike, the goddess of Victory, flying to place the victor’s wreath on Athena’s helmet, thus commemorating Greece’s recent real-time defeat of the Persians and making the Parthenon a votive, or offering of thanks, to their patron goddess.Īll the central figures between Iris on the left and Hestia on the right were removed during the conversion of the Parthenon to a Christian church after the 6th century CE. The East pediment- above the ancient entrance to the temple- depicts the dramatic story of the birth of Athena who sprang as a fully grown warrior from the head of her father, Zeus. ![]() In addition to gilding, the project included painted details on her face, wardrobe, and shield. The gilding project took less than four months and makes Athena appear that much closer to the ancient Athena Parthenos. In 2002, the Parthenon gilded Athena with Alan LeQuire and master gilder Lou Reed in charge of the project. It stood in the Nashville Parthenon as a plain, white statue for 12 years. The Athena statue was constructed from 1982 to 1990. Each section was attached to a steel armature for support. Athena was cast out of gypsum cement in many molds and assembled inside the Parthenon. ![]() From this later model, LeQuire spent about three years enlarging and casting the full-size Athena Parthenos. The Re-creationĪfter exhaustive research, Alan LeQuire created two small-scale versions of the statue out of clay. All of this evidence culminates in LeQuire's Athena. Even today on the Acropolis, you can see the outline of Athena's base on the floor of the Parthenon. Later, Romans copied the statue in small-scale and different materials. Athena appears on Athenian coins of the 2nd and 1st centuries BCE. For example, there are ancient authors, such as Pausanias, who referred to the Athena statue in writings. The statue was unveiled and dedicated in 438 or 437 BCE, according to the building accounts of the temple. ![]() Pheidias, the greatest sculptor of classical antiquity, constructed the Athena Parthenos statue on a wooden framework with carved ivory for skin and a gold wardrobe. Evelyn Bryd Harrison, for the most recent archaeological information. LeQuire also depended on modern classical scholars, including esteemed archaeologists Dr. Historical documentation is brief, but does exist. The gold and ivory statue was lost by 400 CE. What we know about the Athena statue from the ancient Parthenon is somewhat limited. LeQuire, a Nashville native, began his journey by researching the Athena statue of antiquity. ![]() LeQuire attended Vanderbilt University and received his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, in 1981. Alan LeQuire won the commission because of his skill and commitment to accuracy. In 1982, seven sculptors submitted proposals to recreate the Athena statue in Nashville.
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