Olympic Victor Monuments and Greek Athletic ArtHyde, Walter Woodburn
History
Olympic Victor Monuments and Greek Athletic Art
Hyde, Walter Woodburn
Olympics; Sculpture, Greek; Sports -- Greece
As for æsthetic judgments of the statues of victors at Olympia we
have a few direct hints from different writers. The epigram from
the base of the statue of the boy wrestler Theognetos by Ptolichos
of Aegina reads in part: Κάλλιστον μὲν ἰδεῖν, ἀθλεῖν δ’ οὐ χείρονα
μόρ[φης].[556] Pliny says of the sculptor Mikon, who made the statue
of the Athenian pancratiast Kallias: _Micon athletis spectatur_.[557]
The same writer says of the horses of Kalamis: _equis sine aemulo
expressis_.[558] Kalamis with Onatas of Aegina made a chariot-group
for the Syracusan king Hiero.[559] Pausanias, in mentioning the statue
of the boxer Euthymos by Pythagoras, says that it is καὶ θέας ἐς τὰ
μάλιστα ἄξιος.[560] In mentioning the statue by the same sculptor of
the wrestler Leontiskos, he says: εἴπερ τις καὶ ἄλλος ἀγαθὸς τὰ ἐς
πλαστικήν.[561] Of the Argive sculptor Naukydes he says, when speaking
of the statue of the wrestler Cheimon, that it is among the finest
works of that artist.[562] In another passage, in which he describes
the dedication of Phormis at Olympia, he speaks of an ugly horse,
which, besides being smaller than other sculptured horses in the Altis,
has “its tail cut off, and this makes it still uglier.”[563] However,
here he is not so much interested in its lack of beauty as in the
curious fact which he adds, that despite its ugliness this bronze mare
attracted stallions.
GREEK ORIGINALS OF VICTOR STATUES.
[Illustration: PLATE 3
Bronze Head of an Olympic Victor. Glyptothek, Munich.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account