Journal - Comune di Monteleone di Spoleto

V.34 Proper left kouros, front V.35 Proper left kouros, back V.36 Proper left kouros, right profile
Technical observations for both kouroi (cats. 3c and 4c). as
previously mentioned, after the repoussé work and tracing
were completed, the two bronze sheets were cut — possibly
with a chisel—along the outline of the figures, except
around the tops of their heads. There, the part of the sheet
that was not cut out was used to hold the two kouroi with
the bosses (cats. 5 and 6). Their feet rested directly on the
two lion protomes (cats. 7 and 8), secured by nails. We
know for certain that each figure is now in its original position,
replaced during the recent restoration, as the imprints
are still visible.
Repoussé and tracing. The two kouroi were worked with the
same tools and techniques as the three principal panels.
nevertheless, the lines in the hair are rather irregular, and
not parallel, as in the central panel; instead, they resemble the
locks of the fallen warrior on the left side panel. The kouros
on the proper left side is more skillfully executed: in all
likelihood it was the work of the master craftsman and provided
a model for the second kouros, which may have been
fashioned by another bronzeworker. in any case, the differences
in size and anatomy between the figures derive from
the fact that they were made by hand and not from a mold.
5. Right nailed boss (Figures V.37 – V.40)
Boss: H. of relief 1⁄2 in. (1.2 cm), diam. 2 1⁄2 in. (6.2 cm);
nail: H. as preserved 1 1⁄4 in. (3.3 cm), diam. of head 3⁄8 in.
(.9 cm)
Description. The round bronze sheet was executed in
repoussé, creating three concentric circles, the central one
being much larger than the other two. it is not merely ornamental,
but was used to hold the trapezoidal bronze sheet
extending from the kouros’s head. The nail in the center
The Monteleone Chariot V: Catalogue 83