Figure of Dionysos from the east pediment of the Parthenon
The Acropolis, Athens, Greece, about 438-432
BC
The central section of the east pediment of the Parthenon showed
the birth of Athena. The myth was not often depicted in classical
times, although it had been popular in the Archaic period,
especially on vases. This reclining figure almost certainly
represents Dionysos, god of wine. He looked out from the pediment
towards the corner and the chariot of Helios, god of the sun,
rising at daybreak.
Pediments are the triangular spaces formed by the pitch of the
roof of a Greek temple, one at either end of the building. They
were often filled with sculpture representing mythological
subjects. The triangular frame of the pediment presented a
challenge to the designers of the sculpture placed within. There
was a danger that figures at the centre would appear as giants
compared with those that occupied the corners. This discrepancy in
scale was lessened by allowing figures towards the corners to sit,
and right in the corners, to recline. This reclining male nude is
well adapted to his position.
B.F. Cook, The Elgin Marbles, 2nd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1997)