Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

A 048
Head of King Oinomaos (I); Olympia East Pediment

Marble (Parian)
Pedimental Figure
H 38 cm

From the east pediment of the Temple of Zeus. This fragment was found built into a later structure ca. 80 m to the south-east of the temple in 1877.
Greece, Olympia, Olympia Museum
ca. 460 BC; Early Classical

Preservation:
The head is broken diagonally from the right side of the face to the back in front of the left ear. The fragment preserves most of the face except for the right temple and most of the cheek. The lower jaw is broken off, the nose is almost completely gone. The surface is worn and scored along the breaks. There are larger scores on both lips, eyebrows and on the centre of the forehead. The crest of the helmet and the cheekpiece are broken off.

Description:
The head was originally turned slightly to the left. The face is bearded with a long moustache reaching down past the corners of the mouth. The lips are parted and reveal the teeth; the forehead shows a horizontal furrow. The head wears an Attic helmet, the area below the left temple is only roughly picked and has a circular dowel hole in the centre.

Discussion:
The head (of which a second smaller fragment joining at the back is preserved) belongs to a distinctly over life-sized sculpture (figure I) of a mature, standing male from the east pediment. The dimensions, indications of age (beard) and confident pose suggest an identification as King Oinomaos.

Bibliography:
G. Treu, Die Bildwerke in Stein und Thon (= Olympia III) (Berlin 1895) 49-50; 104 figs. 62-64 pls. 9.3; 11.2 This is the thorough original publication providing details on findspot, preservation etc.
B. Ashmole and N. Yalouris, Olympia. The Sculptures of the Temple of Zeus (London 1967) 13 pls. 15; 18; 20 A valuable and richly illustrated discussion including new fragments.