Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

A 072
Lapith and Centaur (South Metope 1); Parthenon

Marble (Pentelic)
Metope
H 139 cm; W 124 cm

This is the only metope of the south side that remained on the building, probably because its removal would have meant the destruction of the corner of the pediment.
Greece, Athens, in situ
High Classical; ca. 440 BC

Preservation:
The right arm and foot of the Lapith and the centaur’s tail are missing. More of the centaur’s left hind leg together with the hoof is preserved, but not included in the cast. The frontal part of the plinth is broken. The surface is weathered but otherwise in good condition (it has deteriorated considerably on the original since the cast was taken).

Description:
The metope shows a Lapith and a centaur in close combat. The centaur has reared up on his hind legs and holds his adversary’s head in a tight arm-lock whilst his right arm is raised to the side, brandishing a weapon. The Lapith is struggling to get away from his opponent; in his right arm he originally held a metal lance with which he has wounded the centaur. A circular hole on the centaur’s left flank (covered on the cast) is all that remains of this weapon. A square socket and several circular drill holes on the centaur’s back were used to fasten his separately carved tail to the body.

Discussion:
The 32 metopes on the south side of the Parthenon were spared from destruction by the early Christians. In 1674 they were drawn by the Frenchman J. Carrey whose sketches are an indispensable source for their reconstruction, often showing fragments that are now missing. The middle metopes were very heavily damaged in the great explosion of 1687. The south metopes vary greatly in style and quality (they also vary considerably in width, as new evidence suggests, probably because at least some of them were originally assigned to a different part of the temple and only after a change of plan reassembled on the south side). Twelve metopes on each of the outer sides depict a centauromachy; they frame a central group of eight metopes with scenes from Attic mythology. The exact content of these scenes is not clear, but it is thought that they are connected to the centauromachy on a more abstract level. The centauromachy itself probably refers to the battle between Lapiths and centaurs at the wedding feast of Peirithoos, a popular myth (also depicted on the west pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, see A 52-65) that involved the Attic hero Theseus in a prominent role. This metope, one of the most powerful in the cycle, shows a bold composition with all the action concentrated in the left half of the relief, thus clearly marking the corner of the frieze. Paint and metal attributes would have added detail; the Lapith, now seemingly overcome by his forceful opponent, in fact has already wounded the centaur.

Bibliography:
A. H. Smith, British Museum. The Sculptures of the Parthenon (London 1910) 29 pl. 16 fig. 1 Catalogue entry with basic information.
F. Brommer, Die Metopen des Parthenon (Mainz am Rhein 1967) 71-76 pls. 154-163 A very detailed study of the Parthenon metopes including previous bibliography and ample photographic documentation.
T. Bowie and D. Thimme, The Carrey Drawings of the Parthenon Sculptures (Bloomington 1971) 46 Important study of the drawings made by Carrey before the Parthenon was damaged in 1687.
E. Berger, Der Parthenon in Basel. Dokumentation zu den Metopen (Basel 1986) 82 pls. 74-75 Detailed study of the Parthenon metopes based on the reconstructions in the Basel cast collection; an updated version of Brommer.