Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

A 076
Centaur and Lapith (South Metope 30); Parthenon

Marble (Pentelic)
Metope
H 139; W 128 cm

The metope was removed from the Parthenon by Elgin in 1801/02 and subsequently transferred to London.
United Kingdom, London, British Museum, 319
HIgh Classical, ca. 440 BC

Preservation:
The centaur’s right arm from above the elbow and his right fore- and hind leg are missing. The plinth has largely broken off.

Description:
The relief depicts a centaur and a Lapith, facing each other in profile. Charging with his raised front hoofs, the centaur has taken hold of the Lapith’s hair with his left hand, the missing right arm must have held a weapon. The Lapith, in the right corner of the metope, has broken down on his left knee, his right arm is thrust against the centaur’s chest, while he supports himself with the left on the ground; the right fist is not entirely closed and may originally have held a weapon added in metal. His torso is turned into three-quarter profile, his head facing outwards. The Lapith is nude except for a mantle visible over his right shoulder and behind his back. His left arm, entirely vertical, extends over the right side of the metope.

Discussion:
Similar to the scene on south metope 4 (A 73), the centaur depicted here has gained the upper hand and is about to deal the final blow to his opponent. The pose of the Lapith seems very forced, especially in the movement of his arms that are both held in an unnaturally straight, rigid position. Much detail on this metope was originally only rendered in paint: The centaur’s beard is hardly differentiated, his panther skin carved only in very low relief. Compared to the much more accomplished neighbouring metopes 28 and 29 (H 8; A 75), this illustrates the astonishing range in quality among the south metopes. On the south metopes in general see A 72.

Bibliography:
A. H. Smith, British Museum. The Sculptures of the Parthenon (London 1910) 36 pl. 23 fig. 2 Catalogue entry with basic information.
F. Brommer, Die Metopen des Parthenon (Mainz am Rhein 1967) 124-125 pls. 229-232 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) 53 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) 97 pl. 108 Detailed study of the Parthenon metopes based on the reconstructions in the Basel cast collection; an updated version of Brommer.