1000 Scupltures of Genius. Patrick Bade

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      This is the only remaining sculpted column drum from the Temple of Artemis, or Artemision, at Ephesus. The temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world, renowned both for its majestic size and for its decorative program. It was built around 550 B.C.E., then rebuilt in the fourth century, the period from which this column drum dates. The temple exemplified the Ionic order of architecture, which was the temple style of the Greek colonies of Asia Minor, where the Artemision was located. Much larger than a typical Doric temple such as the Parthenon, it measured 115 metres in length. The central building, or cella, was surrounded by a double ring of columns, and had additional rows of columns at the front and back, creating the effect of a “forest of columns”. The columns were very large, and much more ornate than those of the Doric order. The lowest drum of each column, just above the column base, was sculpted in low relief. These works of art would have been at eye level, providing a rich array of decorative narratives to surround the visitor. The overall effect of the temple must have been one of overwhelming scale and lavish decoration. Sadly, though the temple stood for hundreds of years, it is now almost completely lost. This single remaining sculpted drum stands as a testament to the skill of the artisans commissioned to build and decorate the great temple.

      85. Anonymous. Maenad, copy after a Greek original created around c. 370–330 B.C.E. by Skopas. Marble, h: 45 cm. Skultpturensammlung, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, Dresden (Germany). Greek Antiquity.

      Skopas was one of the great sculptors of the fourth century B.C.E. He was known for the deeply-carved, expressive eyes of his subjects, and the resulting sense of emotionality in his works. In this dancing Maenad, thought to be a copy of a work of Skopas, we see one of Skopas’ important innovations: the movement conveyed by the piece. Far more than a gesture or a weight-shift, the maenad’s movement is a violent, swirling dance, shown especially in the twist of her neck and the swirl of her gown. Maenads were worshippers of Dionysos, the god of wine. His followers were thought to engage in drunken, orgiastic rituals, dancing in an ecstatic frenzy.

      86. Anonymous. Apollo Sauroktonos, Hellenistic copy after a Greek original created during the 4th century B.C.E. by Praxiteles. Marble. Museo Pio Clementino, Vatican (Italy). Greek Antiquity.

      87. Anonymous. Aphrodite of Knidos, copy after a Greek original created around 350 B.C.E. by Praxiteles. Marble. Museo Pio Clementino, Vatican (Italy). Greek Antiquity.

      Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and sex, was renowned for her own beauty. The Aphrodite of Knidos was one of the first nude female sculptures in the Greek world, and caused quite a stir. It portrays Aphrodite as the epitome of female beauty: a goddess, but rendered accessible to mere mortals through her vulnerability. That vulnerability, expressed through the combination of her nudity and her shy stance, was emphasised through the placement of the statue in an outdoor shrine in a place where it could be directly approached and seen up close. The nude Aphrodite became a common subject for sculpture in the fourth century B.C.E. and following, in part due the popularity of this piece. It is also likely that Aphrodite provided sculptors with the opportunity to showcase the female form in a sensual and erotic manner under the guise of a reverential image of a god.

      88. Anonymous. Apoxyomenos, copy after a bronze original created around 330 B.C.E. by Lysippos. Marble, h: 205 cm. Museo Pio Clementino, Vatican (Italy). Greek Antiquity.

      In the fourth century, standing male statues of idealised athletes remained a popular subject for sculpture. The poses became more varied, however, as sculptors experimented with forms that could be viewed from multiple angles. The Apoxyomenos, or Man scraping Himself, is an example of innovation of pose. His right arm extends forward, reaching out of the plane in which the rest of his body lies. Before exercising, a Greek athlete would apply oil to his body. He would then return to the bath house, after engaging in sport, and scrape the oil off himself. The subject of the Apoxyomenos is in the process of scraping himself clean.

      89. Anonymous. Hermes tying his Sandal, Roman copy after a Greek original created during the 4th century B.C.E. by Lysippos. Marble, h: 161 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris (France). Greek СКАЧАТЬ