Journal - Comune di Monteleone di Spoleto

its length; the ivory color of the other has turned green
through contact with the bronze.
Technical observations. according to a technical report
provided by anibal rodriguez, the morphology of these
tusks does not resemble that of the upper canines of either
a domestic or wild pig (which are somewhat triangular in
section), and the shape of their base is not natural for any
animal tusk. examination of the pieces suggests that they
are modified hippopotamus incisors. as noted previously,
the tips of the tusks were made of another material and
applied as decoration. a separate element — a wooden
core — must also have been present under the base. its purpose
was to secure the tusks to the boar’s upper jaw, and
the jaw to the underlying pole; iron disks applied to the
tusks and the small rectangular cuts on the revetment of
the pole (see cat. 16) are the only signs of the lost attachment
system.
Proper right panel and related kouros
3a. Proper right panel (Figures V.23 – V.25)
H. 18 1⁄2 in. (47 cm), W. 14 5⁄8 in. (37 cm), maximum H. of
relief (at gorgoneion on shield) 1 in. (2.5 cm); thickness of
flat bronze sheet .1 cm
Description. The right panel of the chariot is covered with a
bronze sheet that is curved at the top and straight below.
The convex border was shaped to fit the lost wooden rail to
which it was nailed and secured with edging (cat. 3b).
Within the border the figures are framed by a concave band
and a ribbed molding. at the base two smooth horizontal
moldings frame a concave band that was originally inlaid
with a ribbed ivory strip. The figures in high relief are finished
with incisions.
Two warriors clad in armor engage in a duel and a fallen
warrior lies behind their feet. The warrior on the right has
just thrust his spear into his opponent’s chest, while the lefthand
warrior’s spearpoint appears to bend against his opponent’s
helmet. a bird of prey in flight grazes the loser’s spear
with its talons and beak.
The bodies of the warriors are mirror images: each raises
an arm and holds a spear and stands with almost straight
legs placed one behind the other; the victor’s right hand is
shown as the left, displaying the back of his fist. Their faces
are in perfect profile and the absence of relief makes virtually
no provision for their necks. The pointed beards, eyelashes,
eyebrows, and irises are articulated with tracing. The
drawing made in 1903 does not show the warriors’ moustaches
(hidden by corrosion), which are represented by
punched dots, rather than by small bars, as on the front and
left panels. The knuckles of the hands holding the spears are
evident, while the toenails do not seem to be depicted. The
Corinthian helmets of both warriors are low-crested, but
otherwise almost identical to the one on the front panel. a
double row of dots is traced along the edge of each helmet,
a traced palmette occurs at the corner of the eye opening,
and there is a lotus flower where the neck guard joins the
cheekpiece. The warrior on the right holds a Boeotian shield
like the one depicted on the front of the chariot, but it is
represented most unusually: The shield itself is embossed
over an oval in relief. The devices are the same, albeit
reversed, with the gorgoneion in the lower half and the panther’s
head in the upper half. The panther’s spotted fur is
executed as in the central panel, but in a less ordered manner.
its eyes slant sharply, and there is only one swelling
filled with dots below each eye. The panther has a long
snout and the nose has no nostrils. double converging lines
depict the whiskers, while the soft tissue they issue from is
shown by rows of dots. The gorgoneion resembles the one
on the front panel more than the panther resembles its
counterpart, even if its face is wider; its teeth, fangs, and
protruding tongue are embossed. The beard is missing. The
eyelashes and eyebrows in both faces are finished with tracing,
and the irises are executed with a circle. a dotted guilloche
running around the perimeter of the shield is
interrupted by the Gorgon’s protruding chin.
The two opponents wear identical greaves, each decorated
with a double row of dots. all the armor of the lefthand
warrior is visible. He wears a corselet on top of his
short chiton, both elaborately embellished. dot rosettes
cover the garment, as on the figures of the front panel. a
band of dotted meander hooks ornaments the hem. The border
of the sleeve is made up of a band of double-outlined
hourglasses. The side seam is depicted by a herringbone
pattern and flanked on either side by a checkerboard pattern
ending with a pendant lotus flower. The thickness of the
corselet padding is shown in relief and the corselet’s surface
is lavishly decorated with tracing. a band of pendant and
elongated tongues, each surrounded by two lines, runs
under the collar and is followed by a series of lines to halfway
down the chest. next are five horizontal bands: the first
has lozenges outlined with a double line and with punched
dots ending in a spiral at the pectorals of an anatomically
contoured cuirass; the second has a running spiral with dots
in the spaces; the third has dotted meander hooks; the
fourth, at the waist, is highlighted by a narrow dotted band
and has triangles outlined with two lines and with punched
dots; the fifth, on the lower border, has a band of vertical
tongues. This warrior holds a round shield with a complex
decoration on the inner side — where there is not one handle
(antilabē) but two opposite each other. Starting from the
outer rim and going inward are four concentric bands with
the following decorations: upturned triangles filled with
diminishing triangles; a dotted stopped meander; upright
triangles filled with diminishing triangles; and a running spiral.
only a part of the central circle is visible and it is not
decorated. Five or six bands that fan out hang from the disklike
handle attachments.
The Monteleone Chariot V: Catalogue 75