Temple of Aphaia – East pediment Dying Warrior Temple of Aphaia – East pediment
The Pediment From the Temple of Aphaia on the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf. The pediment represents the first battle of Troy, between Heracles and King Laomedon. Athene stands in the middle, surveying the battlefield. Sculptures on this pediment were installed c480BC, about 10 years after the west pediment. (beginning of the classical period).
The Warrior - Facts 480BC 6’1” long (about 1.85 metres) Represents a dying hoplite warrior “Free standing” sculpture (carved in the round but only viewed from one side)
The Warrior - Analysis Classical still has archaic qualities – archaic smile Fills the corner of the pediment Interesting pose He is naked – heroic Warrior tries to hold himself up but is succumbing to death He is obviously physically fit but it is not unrealistic Well moulded muscles Fairly detailed – veins can be seen
The Pose Hips face forward Rotated chest Elbows at right angles, “but they are not parallel to each other; on the contrary, the pattern they produce suggests a controlled sequence of movements.” – Woodford Bottom leg limp, almost straight, top one bent
Woodford Sayz – pg 36 “While parallelism and repetition dominate the design of the earlier warrior, an apparently orderly succession of movements and forms controls the later one. The figure is neither simply frontal nor simply in profile, but gradually unwinds from one point of view into the next.”
Cheers.