Greece
Parthenon
Acropolis, Athens
447-432 B.C.
Acropolis Museum, Athens
Antefixes are placed along the bottom edges of the roof. This example retains some of its original paint. Color was an important decorative element on the Parthenon and on Greek buildings in general. All the ornamentation, except the nude figures, was heavily painted....
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South Metope 30
Parthenon
Acropolis, Athens
447-440 B.C.
British Museum, London
In this metope another centaur overcomes a fallen Lapith. Both figures are treated with deep respect by the sculptor. Originally the background of the metopes was painted bright red and the triglyphs on each side were painted bright blue....
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Parthenon frieze
East side
Acropolis, Athens
442-438 B.C.
Acropolis Museum, Athens
Perhaps also executed by Phidias or a close collaborator, the gods Poseidon, Apollo and Artemis sit on diphros, four-legged stools which originated in Egypt....
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Parthenon frieze
Southwest portion
Acropolis, Athens
442-438 B.C.
Acropolis Museum, Athens
The frieze is in low relief, about one and one half inches deep and three feet four inches high. In the beginning of the procession at the west end of the south side, as some men mount their horses and prepare to move, one horse rears its legs in wild fear a...
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Parthenon, west facade
Acropolis, Athens
442-438 B.C.
Inside the outer colonnade, at the top of the outside wall of the cella, is the great frieze, a unique sculptural procession 525 feet long which is a homage to the goddess Athena and a celebration in her name. This is the first Doric frieze to go around a building. Previously such friezes were ...
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Parthenon
Acropolis, Athens
447-432 B.C.
The stylobate is the three-step base on which the Parthenon stands. In order to correct the distortions naturally made by the eye, the stylobate is curved upward toward the center of the colonnades on each side of the temple. The architrave also is similarly curved....
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Parthenon frieze
East portion
Acropolis, Athens
442-438 B.C.
Louvre, Paris
Near the end of the Parthenon on the east frieze, young women stand stately and quietly beside officials....
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South Metope
Southwest corner of Parthenon
Acropolis, Athens
447-440 B.C.
A Lapith is held in a headlock by a centaur. The action and energy of the metope contrast and form a harmonious balance with the surrounding triglyphs....
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Parthenon frieze
North side
Acropolis, Athens
442-438 B.C.
Acropolis Museum, Athens
At a moment of great delicacy, young men dressed in full-length himatia walk beside these massive animals. Perhaps this relief was executed by Phidias himself....
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Parthenon, west facade
Acropolis, Athens
442-438 B.C.
The frieze is in low relief, about one and one half inches deep and three feet four inches high....
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