Cast Gallery catalogue number: A141l
A pirate fleeing from an advancing Satyr who's flaming torch can be seen top right.
- Plaster cast: Height: 27cm.
- Copy of part of a marble frieze.
- The frieze:
- is from the Lysikrates Monument in Athens.
- was made about 330 BC.
- is still in situ.
Detailed Record
Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum
A 141 L
Pirate; Lysikrates Monument
Marble (Pentelic)
Frieze
H 25.4 cm
Greece, Athens, in situ
After 335/34 BC; Late Classical
Preservation:The surface of the relief is heavily worn with the faces of both figures almost obliterated. Their right legs are chipped.
Description:Depicted is a human figure running towards a tree on the left side. The man’s left leg is set far forward, the right leg behind and suspended in mid-air. Both arms swing away from the body, the right arm forward, the left arm to the back. The torso is turned almost frontally, the head slightly backwards. The lower right leg of the figure disappears behind a huge rock. To the right the top section of a long branch (wielded by a satyr on the adjoining cast) is visible.
Discussion:The scene depicts a pirate running away in great haste from a satyr (A141m). Rocks and a tree mark the landscape; the right leg of the figure is partly obscured by a huge rock, indicating spatial depth.
For a full discussion of the monument see A 141a.
Bibliography:H. F. de Cou,
"The Frieze of the Choregic Monument of Lysicrates at Athens." (AJA 8 1893) 42-55
Discusses earlier studies and drawings of the monument and the composition of the frieze.W. Erhardt,
"Der Fries des Lysikratesmonuments" (Antike Plastik 22 1993) 20-21 figs. 21-25 pl. 12b
The most thorough discussion of the frieze so far. Excellent photographs of the original frieze, as well as documentation of early drawings and casts documenting a much better state of preservation. Extensive bibliography.
