Figure of a river-god from the west pediment of the
Parthenon
The Acropolis, Athens, Greece, about 438-432
BC
Possibly the river Ilissos
The central feature of the west pediment of the Parthenon was
the colossal statues of Athena and Poseidon in contest for Athens
and the land of Attica (the country around the city).
The reclining figures in the corners of the triangular
composition perhaps represent the rivers of Attica. This figure,
from the left-hand corner, is thought to personify the river
Ilissos, by comparison with figures on the east pediment of the
Temple of Zeus at Olympia; the Greek historian Pausanias names them
as the local rivers there.
The naked youth's languid form is well adapted to the raking
angle of the pediment that framed him. He appears as if caught in
the action of raising himself onto a rock. A piece of drapery hangs
wet and clinging to his left arm.
B.F. Cook, The Elgin Marbles, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)