Gardner, Percy: The principles of Greek art (London, 1924)

156

PRINCIPLES OF GREEK ART

CHAP.

workmen when at work, the smith-god Hephaestus for example,
would usually gird it under, not over, the right arm, so as to
leave that perfectly free for action.

The Doric cloak, or himation, was worn by men and women
alike as an outer garment. The women's cloak would usually
be of finer material; the men's more adapted to practical pur-
poses. Its form is as simple as that of the chiton, but it is
somewhat less oblong. It consisted (Fig. 38, I.) of a square
of cloth, abed, doubled over at the line Im so as to take the form
Imcd (Fig. 38, II.). This was then taken up and the point x

placed on the left shoulder, the
-* part xmbc falling over the chest.

The part xyzl was then brought round the back of the body,
the point y passing under the right arm, which was left quite
free. It was further brought round the chest until the point
z reached the left shoulder, when the remainder, zl, was gathered
together and thrown over the arm or the back. We thus reach
the result shown in Fig 39.

It will be observed that in the case of this garment there is
no fastening; it is held in place by its own weight and by the
arms.

It is obvious that a garment of this kind is not adapted to
be worn when the wearer is on any active employment, nor for
walking about in wind and rain. It was like the blanket of the

1 Gardner and Jevons, Manual of Greek Antiquities, p. 55.