DOI Artikel:
Essay V: The eastern pediment of the Parthenon, and Thalassa and Gaia
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11444#0210
ESSAYS ON THE ART OF PHEIDIAS.
[V-
Both Sea and Land personified on the same relief occur on
the above-quoted representation of the fall of Phaethon, and on
two of the reliefs representing the myth of Prometheus. In
these cases, the myth is of a wider significance than the story of
Endymion, for it concerns gods and men, the celestial and
terrestrial spheres. On the relief given by Gerhard1 we have on
the extreme left Cerberus with his guardian, indicating the lower
regions ; above him Selene in a chariot drawn by oxen rises out
of the realms of darkness over a reclining female figure on a sea-
monster, Thalassa. On the right is the reclining Gaia with a
cornucopia, and over her Helios in his chariot drawn by horses.
Hephaistos is applying hammer and tongs to the reclining earth,
and in the centre is the main scene in the presence of the gods.
In the Capitoline relief'' Vulcan and his assistants are repre-
sented as forging chains under the earth, while the mountain-god
is peering over from the top, and above on either side Helios
advancing towards Gaia and Selene towards Okeanos, who is
represented with an oar and as seated on a sea-monster.
As has been stated by Visconti3 a distinctly cosmical cha-
racter is given to the Capitoline gods in the pedimental groups
representing them. These three Capitoline gods, the rulers of
the world, were, even in the very earliest times, worshipped
jointly on the Capitoliitm Veins, and in the temple of Jupiter on the
Capitol three niches were dedicated to them. They are repre-
sented on numerous reliefs, vases and coins, with a certain cor-
respondence throughout them, so that we must infer that these
representations go back to some well-known prototype. This
prototype is shown to be the pediment of the (Capitoline) Temple,
which pediment is clearly indicated on the fragmentary relief
published by Piranesi4 and on another by Righetti5. Further-
1 A. B. PI. 61. - Mus. Cap. iv. PI. 25.
3 Mus. Pio-Clemcnt. IV. p. i?4. Toutes les divinites representees sur ce bas-relief
rare, ont entre elles deux rapports differens d'analogie, chacun desquels a pu servir de
motif a l'artiste pour les rassembler toutes dans le meme tableau. Le premier motif
est que ce sont toutes des divinites protectrices de l'empire romain, le second que ce
sont aussi toutes des divinites cosmiques, ou qui se rapportent au systeme de l'univers.
Ces deux analogies pourraient etre placees dans les temples oil cette sculpture parait
avoir ete faite.
4 De Romanorum Magnifiantia et Architecture!, p. 19S; and Miiller, Denim. J.
alien Kunst, PI. 2, 13. Descrizione del Campidoglio, I. 168.
[V-
Both Sea and Land personified on the same relief occur on
the above-quoted representation of the fall of Phaethon, and on
two of the reliefs representing the myth of Prometheus. In
these cases, the myth is of a wider significance than the story of
Endymion, for it concerns gods and men, the celestial and
terrestrial spheres. On the relief given by Gerhard1 we have on
the extreme left Cerberus with his guardian, indicating the lower
regions ; above him Selene in a chariot drawn by oxen rises out
of the realms of darkness over a reclining female figure on a sea-
monster, Thalassa. On the right is the reclining Gaia with a
cornucopia, and over her Helios in his chariot drawn by horses.
Hephaistos is applying hammer and tongs to the reclining earth,
and in the centre is the main scene in the presence of the gods.
In the Capitoline relief'' Vulcan and his assistants are repre-
sented as forging chains under the earth, while the mountain-god
is peering over from the top, and above on either side Helios
advancing towards Gaia and Selene towards Okeanos, who is
represented with an oar and as seated on a sea-monster.
As has been stated by Visconti3 a distinctly cosmical cha-
racter is given to the Capitoline gods in the pedimental groups
representing them. These three Capitoline gods, the rulers of
the world, were, even in the very earliest times, worshipped
jointly on the Capitoliitm Veins, and in the temple of Jupiter on the
Capitol three niches were dedicated to them. They are repre-
sented on numerous reliefs, vases and coins, with a certain cor-
respondence throughout them, so that we must infer that these
representations go back to some well-known prototype. This
prototype is shown to be the pediment of the (Capitoline) Temple,
which pediment is clearly indicated on the fragmentary relief
published by Piranesi4 and on another by Righetti5. Further-
1 A. B. PI. 61. - Mus. Cap. iv. PI. 25.
3 Mus. Pio-Clemcnt. IV. p. i?4. Toutes les divinites representees sur ce bas-relief
rare, ont entre elles deux rapports differens d'analogie, chacun desquels a pu servir de
motif a l'artiste pour les rassembler toutes dans le meme tableau. Le premier motif
est que ce sont toutes des divinites protectrices de l'empire romain, le second que ce
sont aussi toutes des divinites cosmiques, ou qui se rapportent au systeme de l'univers.
Ces deux analogies pourraient etre placees dans les temples oil cette sculpture parait
avoir ete faite.
4 De Romanorum Magnifiantia et Architecture!, p. 19S; and Miiller, Denim. J.
alien Kunst, PI. 2, 13. Descrizione del Campidoglio, I. 168.