statue; pediment

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Object Type: statue; pediment
Museum number: 1816,0610.96
Title: Series: The Parthenon Sculptures
Description: Marble statue from the West pediment of the Parthenon (West pediment N). The West pediment showed the mythical contest between Athena and Poseidon for supremacy over the land of Attica. West pediment N survives as a female torso preserved to the knees. The statue wears a short, sleeveless chiton girdled at the waist, probably with a metal girdle that is now missing. The drapery clings to her body in some places, while elsewhere the folds of material flutter around restlessly. The left leg was attached by a round pin, the hole of which is now visible. A fragment of a left arm partially covered with drapery has tentatively been attributed (reg.no. GR 1816.6-10.315). Arms and wings, which were inserted into the shoulders at the back, are missing. It has been suggested that the missing head could be the so-called Laborde head, now in the Musée de Louvre, Paris. The statue has been identified as Iris, the winged messenger goddess. The movement of the drapery and the pose of the sculpture suggest the rush of wind against her body during flight.
Producer name
Cultures/periods
Production date: 438BC-432BC
Production place: Made in: Athens
Findspot: Excavated/Findspot: Parthenon
Materials
Dimensions: Height: 135 centimetres (approx.)
Bibliographic references: Sculpture / Catalogue of Greek Sculpture in the British Museum (304.N); Smith 1892 / A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities, British Museum (p.128); Smith 1910 / The sculptures of the Parthenon (pp.18-19, pl.10); Brommer 1963 / Die Skulpturen der Parthenon-Giebel (pp.45-47, pl.111-113); Palagia 1993 / The pediments of the Parthenon (pp.45, 48-49, 61, fig.105-107); Choremi-Spetsieri 2004 / The Sculptures of the Parthenon: Acropolis, British Museum, Louvre (p.145, fig.107)
Location: On display (G18)
Subjects
Associated names
Acquisition name
Acquisition date: 1816
Department: Greek and Roman
Registration number: 1816,0610.96
Additional IDs: Miscellaneous number: Sculpture 303.J (formerly catalogued as)
Conservation: Treatment: 20 Feb 2015; Treatment: 20.03.2018

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