tour 6 of 21
Audio description tour
Head of the horse of Selene from the east pediment of the Parthenon
Audio of this description (3m 8s) (mp3
format, 2.15 MB). To download, right click and 'save target as'
(PC) or hold down 'Control' key and click, and select 'Download
Link to Disc' (Mac).
This marble head of the horse of Selene, goddess of the moon,
was carved around 438-432 BC. It is one of the sculptures from the
east pediment, or gable, of the Parthenon, a temple set on the
flat-topped rock known as the Acropolis in Athens.
The sculpted group of figures that once filled the very centre
of the east pediment showed the birth of the goddess Athena from
the head of her father Zeus. The figures that represented Athena
and Zeus are now lost, but some of those who witnessed the birth
are preserved. In one corner of the triangle, the time of day was
set by the chariot of Helios, god of the sun, rising at dawn, and
in the other corner, by the chariot of Selene, the Moon goddess,
sinking beneath the horizon. One of Selene's horses' heads is shown
here. Others are preserved in Athens. This is perhaps the most
famous and best loved of all the sculptures of the Parthenon.
The horse's head is just over 80 centimetres long, about
life-sized, ending just at the level of the jaw-line, and is carved
from white marble. The jaw would have hung over the edge of the
pediment floor. The sculptor has captured the very essence of a
beast at the utmost limits of its physical endurance. A long night
spent drawing the chariot of the Moon through the sky has left it
exhausted and gasping for breath. The skin seems to be stretched
over its bones, taut against the great flat plate of the
cheekbones. The nostrils are distended, the round, pupil-less eyes
bulge with effort, the veins and sinews stand out, and what remains
of the ears lie almost flat against the head. The tongue lolls in
the gaping mouth.
The horse's mane has been cropped into an elaborate style, and
stands erect, like the bristles of a brush. The back of the horse's
head is carved in detail, which is surprising, because once fixed
on a pediment, the back would not be seen. Creases in the skin as
the horse turns its head outward follow the curve of the jaw-line.
The sculptor has used the natural veining in the marble to echo the
angle of the line from ear to jaw. The grey veining cuts through
the eye, and runs down towards the muzzle.
The surface of the marble is a creamy-yellow in places, and
veined with streaks of grey. The head is not completely intact. The
nostrils have been chipped, and a chunk is missing from the top of
its head, destroying his left ear almost entirely. The right ear is
badly chipped, and a section of the nose is pitted and scarred.
Small holes in the centre of the face, and beside what remains of
the left ear, indicate where a bronze bridle, long since lost,
would have been attached. Even with this damage, the creature
remains remarkably expressive.