DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49928#0071
PLATE XX.
Fig. i.—The Praying Boy (Der Betende Knabe).
Bronze Statue of the Hellenistic Period. In the
Berlin Museum. 3 ft. 5 in. high. The Plinth, both
Arms, the Eyes and Two of the Toes are Restored.
Beschreibung d. ant. Skulpturen (Berlin). No. 2, p. 2
■(references).
Jahrbuch d. Inst., 1, p. 1 foil.
Mitchell, History of Ancient Sculpture, p. 552.
Baumeister, Denkmdler, fig. 635.
Waldstein, Catalogue of Casts, Fitzwilliam Mus., p. 82, ■
No. 385.
This is one of the finest ancient bronzes in existence. Its
provenance is unknown, and is certainly not Herculaneum as
Waldstein states in his catalogue, since it was purchased in
Italy some time before 1661, by Lebrun, the painter. After
many changes of ownership it was bought by Frederick the
Great, who set it up on the terrace at Sans-Souci. It was
removed to Berlin in 1787, was carried off to Paris in 1806,
.and restored in 1812, since when it has been in the Antiquarium,
Berlin. The arms are restored, but should be raised a little '■
higher.
The nudity of the figure seems to point to his being an
.athlete. The attitude with the face uplifted, and open palms
raised to heaven, is that of prayer to the gods above. Cf.
Stengel, Die gr. Sakralaltertiimer, Pl. 4, figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 2, 4.—Dancing Slaves.
Thin Stamped Plates of Beaten Gold, Pierced for
-Sewing on Clothes. Found at Kertch, in the Crimea.
In the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
Compte-rendu de la Commission Arch., 1865, Pl. 3.
Daremberg et Saglio, Diet., figs. 877,1005.
Attached to every temple Avere certain Σερόδουλοι, or slaves of
the temple, that is to say not priests, but yet not slaves in the
•ordinary sense. Among these, notably at the Temple of
Aphrodite in Corinth, were girls, among whose duties in
some temples was that of dancing before the god.
A series of reliefs show dancers of this kind, in very light
•clothing, spinning round on tip-toe, and gesticulating in the
manner of eastern dancers. Many of these dancers wear
a curious headdress of open basket work (the καλαίλσκος).
Others have caps (cf. Arch. Anzeiger, supplement to Jahrbuch d.
Inst., 1893, p. 76, 77 ; Baumeister, Denkmdler, s.v. Hierodulen-
tanz). The tiny gold ornaments from the Crimea show both
varieties.
Fig. 3.—Metragyrtes praying before Devotees.
Black-figured Painting on a Two-Handled Vase.
In the Naples Museum. End of Sixth Century or early
Fifth Century b.c.
Ann d. Inst., 1865, tav. F.
FIeydemann, Vasensammlungen, p. 602, No. 3358.
Daremberg et Saglio, Diet., fig. 2637.
Two women sit on a couch near a tree. They are devotees
and have been initiated in the mysteries {Inscr. MY2TA).
Before them stands a chair, on which are piled their offerings.
Beneath the chair is a basket of loaves. Facing them stands
a bearded man, who holds a skin of wine or water and olive-
sprigs in his left hand, and a cup of wine in his right. He looks
upward and opens his mouth in prayer as he stretches the cup
over the offerings, probably to pour out a libation. Near him
in the background, mounted on a pole, is a votive picture (cf.
Pl. 5, fig. 4) or shrine (aedicula, Pl. 15, fig. 5) with side doors like
a mediseval triptych, which shut and cover it. The sacrifice is
not solemn or public, but has a makeshift air, so that the
priest is probably one of the many begging priests who went
round. The best known of these were the άγόρτα/, or
μ,ητραγνρται, who collected money in the name of the Great
Mother Cybele. (Cf. Pl. 18, fig. 8).
Fig. 5.—The Vatican Discobolus.
Copy of Discobolus by Myron (Attic, Fifth Century).
Found in 1791 in Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. The Head,
Left Arm, Right Leg below the Knee and other smaller
parts are Restorations. In the Sala della Biga, Vati-
can.
HELBig, Fiihrer, p. 253, No. 332 (references).
Friederichs-Wolters, Gipsabgiisse, p. 191, No. 451 (re-
ferences).
1 his is one of a group of replicas which correspond most
accurately with Lucian’s description of Myron’s Discobolus. He
speaks of him as, “stooped in the attitude of hurling, twisted
round towards the hand that holds the quoit, bending easily the
other leg (i.e. the one on which he is not resting), like one
collecting himself to leap with the throw ” (Philopseud., 18,
Overbeck, Schriftquellen, No. 544. The attitude is not unlike
that of a golfer “ driving,” who swings the whole of his trunk
round with his arms and lets his left leg bend. In one point
the Vatican statue has been wrongly restored, the head should
not face forwards, but should look towards the quoit. As every
golfer knows, it is a mistake to look ahead during a movement
of this kind; the head should more or less follow the swing of
the body. The correct position of the head is preserved by two
replicas, one of full size, fonneily in the Palazzo Massimi,
now in the Palazzo Lanceolotti at Rome, the other a bronze
statuette in the ,Antiquarium at Munich. For the subject of
Myron’s Discobolus, reference may be made to Murray, History
of Greek Sculpture, p. 270 foil.; Mitchell, History of Ancient
Sculpture, p. 293; Paris (ed. Flarrison), Manual of And.
Sculpt., p. 185 foil. ; British Mus. Catalogue of Greek Sculpture,
i., pp. 90-1; Waldstein, Cat. of Casts, Fitzwilliam Mus., Nos.
115, 221 ; Smith, Did. of Ant. i., p. 664.
Pl. 21, fig. 4, shows the discobolus in an earlier attitude
getting into a position for hurling. Pl. 22, figs. 11 and 15 show
the discus, which is a round plate of metal, not a ring like
the English quoit. It differed also from the English quoit in
being thrown to carry as far as possible and not merely to
strike a mark.
Figs. 6, 7.—Dancing Girls.
Red-figured Vase from Aegina. In the British
Museum. Attic, Fifth Century b.c.
Stackelberg, Graber der Hellenen, Pl. 23.
Journ. Hellen. Studies, vol. xiii., p. 134 foil.
Harrison and MacColl, Gk. Vase Paintings, Pl. 40.
The vase is in the fantastic shape of a large knuckle-bone
αστράγαλος {cf. Pl. io, fig. 6). It is covered with graceful figures
of girls dancing so lightly that they seem to fly. The group
39
Fig. i.—The Praying Boy (Der Betende Knabe).
Bronze Statue of the Hellenistic Period. In the
Berlin Museum. 3 ft. 5 in. high. The Plinth, both
Arms, the Eyes and Two of the Toes are Restored.
Beschreibung d. ant. Skulpturen (Berlin). No. 2, p. 2
■(references).
Jahrbuch d. Inst., 1, p. 1 foil.
Mitchell, History of Ancient Sculpture, p. 552.
Baumeister, Denkmdler, fig. 635.
Waldstein, Catalogue of Casts, Fitzwilliam Mus., p. 82, ■
No. 385.
This is one of the finest ancient bronzes in existence. Its
provenance is unknown, and is certainly not Herculaneum as
Waldstein states in his catalogue, since it was purchased in
Italy some time before 1661, by Lebrun, the painter. After
many changes of ownership it was bought by Frederick the
Great, who set it up on the terrace at Sans-Souci. It was
removed to Berlin in 1787, was carried off to Paris in 1806,
.and restored in 1812, since when it has been in the Antiquarium,
Berlin. The arms are restored, but should be raised a little '■
higher.
The nudity of the figure seems to point to his being an
.athlete. The attitude with the face uplifted, and open palms
raised to heaven, is that of prayer to the gods above. Cf.
Stengel, Die gr. Sakralaltertiimer, Pl. 4, figs. 1 and 2.
Fig. 2, 4.—Dancing Slaves.
Thin Stamped Plates of Beaten Gold, Pierced for
-Sewing on Clothes. Found at Kertch, in the Crimea.
In the Hermitage, St. Petersburg.
Compte-rendu de la Commission Arch., 1865, Pl. 3.
Daremberg et Saglio, Diet., figs. 877,1005.
Attached to every temple Avere certain Σερόδουλοι, or slaves of
the temple, that is to say not priests, but yet not slaves in the
•ordinary sense. Among these, notably at the Temple of
Aphrodite in Corinth, were girls, among whose duties in
some temples was that of dancing before the god.
A series of reliefs show dancers of this kind, in very light
•clothing, spinning round on tip-toe, and gesticulating in the
manner of eastern dancers. Many of these dancers wear
a curious headdress of open basket work (the καλαίλσκος).
Others have caps (cf. Arch. Anzeiger, supplement to Jahrbuch d.
Inst., 1893, p. 76, 77 ; Baumeister, Denkmdler, s.v. Hierodulen-
tanz). The tiny gold ornaments from the Crimea show both
varieties.
Fig. 3.—Metragyrtes praying before Devotees.
Black-figured Painting on a Two-Handled Vase.
In the Naples Museum. End of Sixth Century or early
Fifth Century b.c.
Ann d. Inst., 1865, tav. F.
FIeydemann, Vasensammlungen, p. 602, No. 3358.
Daremberg et Saglio, Diet., fig. 2637.
Two women sit on a couch near a tree. They are devotees
and have been initiated in the mysteries {Inscr. MY2TA).
Before them stands a chair, on which are piled their offerings.
Beneath the chair is a basket of loaves. Facing them stands
a bearded man, who holds a skin of wine or water and olive-
sprigs in his left hand, and a cup of wine in his right. He looks
upward and opens his mouth in prayer as he stretches the cup
over the offerings, probably to pour out a libation. Near him
in the background, mounted on a pole, is a votive picture (cf.
Pl. 5, fig. 4) or shrine (aedicula, Pl. 15, fig. 5) with side doors like
a mediseval triptych, which shut and cover it. The sacrifice is
not solemn or public, but has a makeshift air, so that the
priest is probably one of the many begging priests who went
round. The best known of these were the άγόρτα/, or
μ,ητραγνρται, who collected money in the name of the Great
Mother Cybele. (Cf. Pl. 18, fig. 8).
Fig. 5.—The Vatican Discobolus.
Copy of Discobolus by Myron (Attic, Fifth Century).
Found in 1791 in Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli. The Head,
Left Arm, Right Leg below the Knee and other smaller
parts are Restorations. In the Sala della Biga, Vati-
can.
HELBig, Fiihrer, p. 253, No. 332 (references).
Friederichs-Wolters, Gipsabgiisse, p. 191, No. 451 (re-
ferences).
1 his is one of a group of replicas which correspond most
accurately with Lucian’s description of Myron’s Discobolus. He
speaks of him as, “stooped in the attitude of hurling, twisted
round towards the hand that holds the quoit, bending easily the
other leg (i.e. the one on which he is not resting), like one
collecting himself to leap with the throw ” (Philopseud., 18,
Overbeck, Schriftquellen, No. 544. The attitude is not unlike
that of a golfer “ driving,” who swings the whole of his trunk
round with his arms and lets his left leg bend. In one point
the Vatican statue has been wrongly restored, the head should
not face forwards, but should look towards the quoit. As every
golfer knows, it is a mistake to look ahead during a movement
of this kind; the head should more or less follow the swing of
the body. The correct position of the head is preserved by two
replicas, one of full size, fonneily in the Palazzo Massimi,
now in the Palazzo Lanceolotti at Rome, the other a bronze
statuette in the ,Antiquarium at Munich. For the subject of
Myron’s Discobolus, reference may be made to Murray, History
of Greek Sculpture, p. 270 foil.; Mitchell, History of Ancient
Sculpture, p. 293; Paris (ed. Flarrison), Manual of And.
Sculpt., p. 185 foil. ; British Mus. Catalogue of Greek Sculpture,
i., pp. 90-1; Waldstein, Cat. of Casts, Fitzwilliam Mus., Nos.
115, 221 ; Smith, Did. of Ant. i., p. 664.
Pl. 21, fig. 4, shows the discobolus in an earlier attitude
getting into a position for hurling. Pl. 22, figs. 11 and 15 show
the discus, which is a round plate of metal, not a ring like
the English quoit. It differed also from the English quoit in
being thrown to carry as far as possible and not merely to
strike a mark.
Figs. 6, 7.—Dancing Girls.
Red-figured Vase from Aegina. In the British
Museum. Attic, Fifth Century b.c.
Stackelberg, Graber der Hellenen, Pl. 23.
Journ. Hellen. Studies, vol. xiii., p. 134 foil.
Harrison and MacColl, Gk. Vase Paintings, Pl. 40.
The vase is in the fantastic shape of a large knuckle-bone
αστράγαλος {cf. Pl. io, fig. 6). It is covered with graceful figures
of girls dancing so lightly that they seem to fly. The group
39