Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

A 057
Head of Lapith Woman (H) [Deidameia?]; Olympia West Pediment

Marble (Parian)
Pedimental Figure
H 40 cm

From the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus. The head was found in 1876 ca. 7 m to the west of the temple among column-fragments.
Greece, Olympia, Olympia Museum
ca. 460 BC; Early Classical

Preservation:
The head is broken through the neck. It is in very good condition, with only a small score on the right ear and slight abrasions on the eyelids, and some chips along the break. A small section of the lower lip has been restored in plaster. Slight traces of paint were preserved on the cloth when the head was found.

Description:
The head was originally lowered and slightly turned to the left. The relatively narrow face shows idealized features with flared nostrils and slightly parted lips. The hair is taken up and wound into a cloth that is wrapped around the head in several layers and knotted in front. Here, a small section of hair is visible below the cloth framing the forehead. The marble surface is relatively rough on this part of the coiffure, contrasting with the smooth finish of most of the head. The left side of the head except for the face is only roughly picked, the left ear not indicated. The face is not symmetrical, with the left side being notably shorter.

Discussion:
The head belongs to the statue of a young woman being abducted by a centaur (A58). Most of her body and a substantial part of the centaur are preserved to give a clear idea of the action. He has torn down a part of her garment and closely holds her, grabbing her exposed left breast in the process. She is putting up fierce resistance, thrusting her left elbow against his head and trying to remove his hand. Remarkably, the intense struggle hardly shows on her face; only the fixed glance of her eyes, the flared nostrils and slightly opened mouth reveal her agitation. Most of the left side of the head would not have been visible to the viewer and has therefore not been fully worked out. The size of the sculptures relate the group to the centre of the pediment. As the centaur is sufficiently marked out to be identified as their leader Eurytion, the Lapith woman must be Deidameia, Peirithoos’ bride.

Bibliography:
G. Treu, Die Bildwerke in Stein und Thon (= Olympia III) (Berlin 1895) 72-74; 76; 109 fig. 116 pls. 24; 25.1-2 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) 18-19; 178 pls. 110-114 A valuable and richly illustrated discussion including new fragments.