A catalogue of sculpture in the Department of ... - Warburg Institute

METOPES OF PARTHEXON. 133Museum possesses fifteen original metopes brought fromAthens by Lord Elgin. His contemporary, Choiseul-Gouffier, while ambassador at Constantinople, obtainedone more (No. 313), which is now in the Louvre. Thesesixteen metopes are all from the south side of the Parthenon,and their subjects were taken from the contestbetween the Centaurs and Lapiths at the marriage-feastof Peirithoos. The first metope on the south side of theParthenon, reckoning from the south-west angle, isstillin position on the temple (Michaelis, pi. 3, 1) ; the secondon the temple is the first of the series of fifteen in theMuseum.The sculpture of the metopes is in the highest reliefattainable in marble, large portions of some of the figuresbeing carved in the round so as to stand out quite free ofthe background. There is a remarkable inequality ofstyle in the sculpture. Thus, for example, Nos. 319, 320show traces of archaic feeling, and while No. 309 appearsto be the work of an indifierent artist, Nos. 310, 316, 317are admirable.305. The Lapith kneels on the back of the Centaur, claspinghis head with his left arm, and pressing the fingers ofhis left hand against his windpipe. The Centaur hasbeen thrown on his right knee ; his head is forced back,his mouth wide open as if uttering a cry of agony. Hisleft hand vainly endeavours to dislodge the grasp on histhroat, the right hand appears behind the right shoulder ofthe Lapith. When drawn by Carrey, the head and rightfoot of the Lapith and the right foreleg of the Centaurstill remained. The head of Lapith may be No. 343, 6,Mus. Marbles, VII., pi. 1 ; Baumeister, Denkmaeler, p. 1175, fig. 1364;Michaelis, pi. 3, ii. ; Siereuscopic, No, 80, A.306. The Lapith attacks the Centaur from behind, restinghis right knee on his crupper, and extending forward his