Sappho and her influenceRobinson, David M. (David Moore)
History
Sappho and her influence
Robinson, David M. (David Moore)
Sappho -- Influence
The high regard of the ancients and moderns for Sappho appears especially
in art. In olden days she was honored in town-hall and library. Many a
statue and bust of her was erected and she was one of the few historical
characters who were painted on Greek vases, which even quote her
verses. She was sculptured also in terra-cotta and bronze.[103] It is
well established[104] that her image was engraved on coins of Eresus
and Mytilene,—a unique honor in early Greek days. Many (Pl. 10, 11) in
the British Museum, in Paris, and elsewhere[105] bear representations
sometimes of her head on the obverse with the lyre on the reverse, and
sometimes her full figure standing or sitting. They differ much in the
manner of the arrangement of her coiffure, some even showing the hair
covered by a kerchief, a fashion still prevalent in modern Lesbus. They
may be traced back to different types. Those which bear her name date
from Roman Imperial times. In general Furtwängler[106] is right in
contending that it was not the custom to honor distinguished persons
in such a manner before the days of Alexander. But the beautiful head
which appears on early Greek coins of Mytilene of the fifth and fourth
centuries B.C. may easily be Sappho and not her patron Aphrodite, even
in cases where the type is adapted to that of the goddess of love. The
lyre on the reverse and the individual features which resemble some
of the busts of Sappho point that way. The beautiful face on the old
coins was copied from some statue, perhaps one that was even earlier
than that of Silanion. Farnell well says:[107] “the later hero cults of
Homer at Smyrna, Sappho at Lesbus, and Aristotle at Stageira reveal the
deep conviction of the Hellenic spirit that science and art are divine
powers.” If the head on these Mytilenaean coins is really Sappho, it is
a silent but eloquent testimony to the reverence her name acquired after
her death and to the perfection of her living work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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