Cast Gallery catalogue number: A082a
Three horsemen.
- Plaster cast: Height: 1.02m.
- Copy of part of a marble frieze.
- The frieze:
- is from the north side (west end) of the Parthenon.
- was made about 440 BC.
This part of the frieze was brought to London in the early 1800s and is now in London, British Museum.
Detailed Record
Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum
A 082 A
Horsemen (Slab 42 [37]); Parthenon Frieze North
Marble (Pentelic)
Frieze
W 122 cm
The slab belongs to the large section of the frieze removed by Lord Elgin in 1802 and was subsequently transferred to London.
United Kingdom, London, British Museum
High Classical, ca. 440-432 BC
Preservation:Both sides of the slab are preserved, but a large section on the upper left corner has broken off and is restored on the cast (a further fragment with the head of the horse on the left and another horseman is preserved in the Acropolis Museum, but not included in this cast). The surface is slightly weathered but otherwise in very good condition, except for some chips on the horse to the right and the left leg of the right horseman.
Description:The slab shows parts of four horsemen and their mounts moving to the left (the horseman on the left is not on the cast). The two figures in the centre are bareheaded and wear chitons, mantles, and sandals. To the right is the frontal part of a horse from the next slab.
Discussion:The horsemen depicted here belong to the rank beginning on the next slab to the right. It shows clearly how the divisions of the slabs did not affect the composition of the north frieze, an indication that it was carved in situ, i. e. on the cella wall rather than on the ground.
On the north frieze in general see A 81.
Bibliography:F. Brommer,
Der Parthenonfries (Mainz 1977) 60-61 pls. 100-101.1-2
A very detailed study of the Parthenon frieze including previous bibliography and ample photographic documentation.I. Jenkins,
The Parthenon Frieze (London 1994) 100-101
The latest official documentation of the frieze by the British Museum. Jenkins has renumbered some of the slabs and put them in a different order.E. Berger and M. Gisler-Huwiler,
Der Parthenon in Basel. Dokumentation zum Fries (Basel 1996) 101 pls. 75-76
Detailed study of the Parthenon frieze based on the reconstruction in the Basel cast collection, including an extensive bibliography.
