Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

A 054
Kneeling Lapith (C); Olympia West Pediment

Marble (Parian)
Pedimental Figure
H 140 cm; L 220 cm

From the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus. The head and torso were found 17 m, the lower part of the body with the right thigh 28m to the west of the temple, all in 1877. The left leg was found in 1880 near the south-west corner of the Pelopion Gate.
Greece, Olympia, Olympia Museum
ca. 460 BC; Early Classical

Preservation:
The sculpture consists of several joining fragments (head and torso; fragment of the right arm; left leg; lower part of the body with right thigh; three more joining fragments of the right leg). The right arm is missing from below the biceps, as are the tip of the right and the entire left foot. (The toes of the left foot with a small section of the plinth are also preserved, but not in the cast collection). The entire surface is worn; the face is heavily abraded. There are substantial scores along the breaks and on the left knee.

Description:
The statue represents a nude, kneeling young man. His left knee is slightly advanced, the right leg set far back. He is pushing himself forward with both feet, the torso is diagonally raised and both arms were thrust forward. The body is lean with well-defined muscles. The features of the face under a dense, closely-cropped cap of hair reaching halfway down the forehead, are badly preserved. The entire left side of the body is only very roughly picked. The left ear and the left arm except for a short lump of marble have been entirely omitted. There is a circular dowel hole for the insertion of a separately carved membrum.

Discussion:
The sculpture shows a Lapith fighting a centaur (A 55), who in turn has attacked a Lapith girl (A 56). He has lunged forward on his knees and is dragging down the centaur with his hands closely interlocked over the centaur’s head. The Lapith originally stood close to the left corner of the west pediment; the constraints of the narrowing space have been masterfully translated into a powerful action pose. To save space, the obscured left side of the body has not been fully executed.

Bibliography:
G. Treu, Die Bildwerke in Stein und Thon (= Olympia III) (Berlin 1895) 84-85; 87; 107 figs. 140-142 pls. 30; 31.3 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) 21; 179 pls. 71-73; 75-76 A valuable and richly illustrated discussion including new fragments.