Zeus : a study in ancient religion - Warburg Institute

Artemis and the Oak 407
the thymiaterion, most of the thymiaterion, part of the figure on the r. of it, and the lower
third of the figure on the extreme 1.; the lower 1. angle.
This statuette of the Ephesian Artemis has the usual hieratic attitude, with both feet
together, the arms held out parallel, and the face looking straight forward. On her head
is a lofty crown composed of several tiers, with a temple at the summit having porticoes
on three sides. Below are circles of the foreparts (i) of sphinxes, and (2) of griffins ; the
next tier consists of a round tower with masonry and
battlements indicated ; and the whole rests on a pad
formed of a twisted taenia with rosettes. Behind the
head, on each side, is a semicircular disk with the fore-
parts of three griffins.
The upper part of the chest is adorned with a gar-
land of flowers, encircled by a twisted taenia, and having
acorns depending from it ; it hangs from the shoulders,
and encloses a relief of two Victories, with palms in
their hands, holding up a single wreath, beneath which
is a crab. Above each head is a flower. Parallel with
the garland, and below it, hangs a fillet. Under this
are four rows of breasts.
On each forearm, which is covered by a long sleeve,
sits a small lion.
Below the breasts the body is enclosed in a kind of
sheath gradually diminishing in size and reaching nearly
to the feet; below it the folds of a long thin chiton
spread fanlike above the feet. The sheath is divided
horizontally, on each side and in front, into five com-
partments. Those each side bear reliefs of a Scylla,
a bee, a rosette or flower, a bee, and a rosette again.
Those in front are decorated with rows of the foreparts
of animals: viz. (i) three stags, (2) three winged eagle-
headed griffins, (3) three lion-headed griffins, (4) two
winged lion-headed griffins, (5) two oxen.
The base on which the figure stands, and which
probably does not belong, is surmounted by a plinth
of four steps. The base grows larger in size at the
lower edge and the sides are concave. The front bears
a relief showing two female figures on each side ap-
proaching a lighted thymiaterion from opposite direc-
tions. The two outer figures play double flutes and
wear a long chiton and himation, which in the righthand
figure goes over the head ; the inner figure on
the right, which is antique, is smaller, veiled, and
draped, and has a fringe of tight curls ;
the figure pro-
bably carried some object (Amelung suggests a distaff"),
but the hand is restored. There is a similar base in
the Vatican [Amelung Sculpt. Vatic, ii. 626 f. no. 41 1 a
pi. 52].'
See further C. Menetreius op. cit.^ p. 10 pi. on left,
Montfaucon Antiquity Explained Uz.x\%. D. Humphreys
London 1721 i. 97 pi. 46 (after Menetreius), P. Righetti Descrizione del Campidoglio
Roma 1833 i. 193 pi. 192 (inexact), Gerhard Ant. Bildw. p. 396 pi. 307, 26 (bust
only), Reinach Jiep. Stat. ii. 321 no. 4 (text erroneous). W. Amelung in ihe Jahresh.
d. oest. arch. Inst. 1909 xii. 173
Fi g- 30f
ff" figs. 83—85 notes that on the upper surface of
the base, to right and left of the stepped plinth, there were originally two rectangular
slabs supporting side-attributes. He also insists that the double turreted crown is a