A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

252 PHEIDI AS. PHEIDIAS.
goddess, by Lachares. (Paus. 1. c.) Between the a Sphinx, and beneath each of these groups (that
shields were inscriptions. The tyanpriza of the is, on the face of the bar which joined the top of
pediments of the temple were filled with most the front legs to the back) Apollo and Artemis
magnificent groups of sculpture, that in the front, were represented shooting at the children of Niobe.
or eastern face, representing the birth of Athena, The legs of the throne were united by four straight
and that in the western face the contest of Athena bars (cavod'vs) sculptured with reliefs, the firont
with Poseidon for the land of Attica. (Paus. i. 24. one representing various athletic contests, and the
~ 5.) The mode in which the legend is represented, other two (for the back one was not visible) the
and the identification of the figures, in each of battle between the Amazons and the comrades of
these groups, has long been a very difficult problem. Hercules, among whom Theseus was represented.
The most recent and most elaborate essay on the There were also pillars between the legs as addisubject is that by Welcker, On the sculptured tional supports. The throne was surrounded by
Groups in the Pedimeents of the Parthenon, in the barriers or walls (pvyadra -rpo'roVY TOl'cXWu' srErol-;Classical M1ulseumz, vol. ii. pp. 367, &c. PUEYa), which prevented all access to it. Of these
We pass on to the other works of Pheidias at the one in front was simply painted dark blue, the
Athens. others were adorned with pictures by PANAENUS.
9. A bronze statue of Apollo Parnopius in the The summit of the back of the throne, above the
Acropolis. (Paun. i. 24. ~ 8.) god's head, was surmounted on the one side by
10. An Aplsrodite Urania of Parian marble in the three Graces, on the other by the three Hours,
her temple near the Cerameicus. (Paus. ibid.) who were introduced here as being the daughters
11. A statue of the 1AIother of thle Gods, sitting of Zeus, and the keepers of heaven. The footstool
on a throne supported by lions, and holding a of the god was supported by four golden lions, and
cymbal in her hand, in the Metroum, near the chased or painted with the battle of Theseus
Cerameicus. The material is not stated. (Paus. i. against the Amazons. The sides of the base,
3. ~ 4; Arrian. Peripl. Pont. Eux. p. 9.) which supported the throne and the whole statue,
12. The golden throne of the bronze statue of and which must not be confounded with the walls
Athena Hygieia, in the Acropolis, is enumerated already mentioned-, were ornamented with sculpby Sillig as among the works of Pheidias; but we tures in gold, representing Helios mounting his
rather think that the words'r's NEon refer to the chariot; Zeus and Hera; Charis by the side of
great statue in the Parthenon, and not to the appa- Zeus; next to her Hermes; then Hestia; then
rent antecedent in the preceding sentence, which Eros receiving Aphrodite as she rises from the sea,
is, in fact, part of a digression. and Peitho crowning her. Here also were Apollo
Of the statues which Pheidias made for other with Artemis, and Athena and Heracles, and at
Greek states, by far the first place must be as- the extremity of the base Amphitrite and Poseidon,
signed to- and Selene riding on a horse or a mule. Such is
13. Tlse colossal ivory and qold statue of Zeus Pausanias's description of the figure, which will
in his great temple in the _4ltis or sacred grove at be found to be admirably illustrated in all its deOlympia. The fullest description of the statue is tails by the drawing, in which M. Quatremere de
that given by Pausanias (v. 11). Quincy has attempted its restoration. (B1ittiger,
The statue was placed in the prodomus or front who also gives an elaborate description of the
chamber of the temple, directly facing the entrance, statue, interprets some of the details differently.
and with its back against the wall which separated Andeutungen, pp. 93-1 07.) Flaxman also has
the prodouzzis from the opisthodomnus, so that it at given a restoration of it (Lectures on Scultyure,
once showed itself in all its grandeur to a spectator pl. xx.), in which he assigns far less importance to
entering the temple. It was only visible, however, the throne than De Quincy does, and less, indeed,
on great festivals, at other times it was concealed than the description of Pausanias seems to suggest.
by a magnificent curtain; the one used in the The dimensions of the statue Pausanias professes
time of Pausanias had been presented by king his inability to state; but we learn from Strabo
Antiochus. (Paus. v. 12. ~ 4.) The god was re- that it almost reached to the roof, which was about
presented as seated on a throne of cedar wood, sixty feet in height. We have no such statement,
adorned with gold, ivory, ebony, stones, and co- as we have in the case of the Athena, of the weight
lours, crowned with a wreath of olive, holding in of the gold upon the statue, but some idea of the
his right hand an ivory and gold statue of Victory, greatness of its quantity may be formed from the
with a fillet in her hand and a crown upon her statement of Lucian, that each lock of the hair
head, and in his left hand supporting a sceptre, weighed six minae (Jup. Trag. 25). The complewhich was ornamented with all sorts of metals, tion of the statue is said by Pausanias to have been
and surmounted by an eagle. The robe, which followed by a sign of the favour of Zeus, who, in
covered the lower part of the figure, and the answer to the prayer of Pheidias, struck the pavesandals of the god were golden, the former, as we ment in front of the statue with lightning, on a
learn from Strabo, of beaten gold (mpvprIoaTros), spot which was marked by a bronze urn. This
and on the robe were represented (whether, by pavement was of black marble (no doubt to set off
painting or chasing Pausanias does not say, but the brilliancy of the ivory and gold and colours),
the former is by far the more probable) various surrounded by a raised edge of Parian marble,
animals and flowers, especially lilies. The throne which served to retain the oil that was poured
was brilliant both with gold and stones, and with over the statue, to preserve the ivory from the inebony and ivory, and was ornamented with figures jurious effects of the moisture exhaled from the
both painted and sculptured. There were four marshy ground of the Altis, just as, on the conVictories in the attitude of dancing, against each trary, water was used to protect the ivory of the
leg of the throne, and two others at the foot of
each leg. Each of the front legs was surmounted * This confusion was inadvertently made in the
by a group representing a Theban youth seized by article PANARN US.