Blond Kouros's Head of the Acropolis
Encyclopedia
The so called Blond Kouros's Head of the Acropolis is the head of a lost marble statue of a young man (Kouros
or Ephebe sculpture type) of ca 480 BC
, in the Acropolis Museum
in Athens
, Greece
The head and part of the pelvis were found in 1923 northeast of the museum site on the Acropolis of Athens
. It belongs to the late archaic or early classical period (Severe style
). The curly hair points more to the Archaic
than the Classical period
.
It measures 25 cm in the vertical, in the horizontal under the ears 12.5 cm and in the depth 22.8 cm. (Schrader 1939:197).
This sculpture could have been created by one of the teachers of Phidias
, Hegias of Athens
or Ageladas
of Argos
.
The original blond painting of the curly hair is faded. Only remnants of the paint are visible today.
Kouros
A kouros is the modern term given to those representations of male youths which first appear in the Archaic period in Greece. The term kouros, meaning youth, was first proposed for what were previously thought to be depictions of Apollo by V. I...
or Ephebe sculpture type) of ca 480 BC
480 BC
Year 480 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Vibulanus and Cincinnatus...
, in the Acropolis Museum
Acropolis Museum
The Old Acropolis Museum was an archaeological museum located in Athens, Greece on the archeological site of Acropolis. It is built in a niche at the eastern edge of the rock and most of it lies beneath the level of the hilltop, making it largely invisible. It was considered one of the major...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
The head and part of the pelvis were found in 1923 northeast of the museum site on the Acropolis of Athens
Acropolis of Athens
The Acropolis of Athens or Citadel of Athens is the best known acropolis in the world. Although there are many other acropoleis in Greece, the significance of the Acropolis of Athens is such that it is commonly known as The Acropolis without qualification...
. It belongs to the late archaic or early classical period (Severe style
Severe style
The severe style, or Early Classic style, was the dominant idiom of Greek sculpture in the period ca. 490 to 450 BCE. It marks the breakdown of the canonical forms of archaic art and the transition to the greatly expanded vocabulary and expression of the classical moment of the late 5th century...
). The curly hair points more to the Archaic
Archaic period in Greece
The Archaic period in Greece was a period of ancient Greek history that followed the Greek Dark Ages. This period saw the rise of the polis and the founding of colonies, as well as the first inklings of classical philosophy, theatre in the form of tragedies performed during Dionysia, and written...
than the Classical period
Classical Greece
Classical Greece was a 200 year period in Greek culture lasting from the 5th through 4th centuries BC. This classical period had a powerful influence on the Roman Empire and greatly influenced the foundation of Western civilizations. Much of modern Western politics, artistic thought, such as...
.
It measures 25 cm in the vertical, in the horizontal under the ears 12.5 cm and in the depth 22.8 cm. (Schrader 1939:197).
This sculpture could have been created by one of the teachers of Phidias
Phidias
Phidias or the great Pheidias , was a Greek sculptor, painter and architect, who lived in the 5th century BC, and is commonly regarded as one of the greatest of all sculptors of Classical Greece: Phidias' Statue of Zeus at Olympia was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World...
, Hegias of Athens
Hegias of Athens
Hegias or Hegesias of Athens was a famous sculptor of Athens, a member of the Late Archaic school of the generation before Pheidias. No surviving work can be securely identified as his, though Pliny mentions a Pyrrhus Supported by Pallas Athena....
or Ageladas
Ageladas
Ageladas or Hagelaidas, was a celebrated Argive sculptor, who flourished in the latter part of the 6th and the early part of the 5th century BC....
of Argos
Argos
Argos is a city and a former municipality in Argolis, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Argos-Mykines, of which it is a municipal unit. It is 11 kilometres from Nafplion, which was its historic harbour...
.
The original blond painting of the curly hair is faded. Only remnants of the paint are visible today.
External links
- Virtuelles AntikenMuseum Göttingen
- http://web.fu-berlin.de/klassarch/abguss/pdf/Va.pdf#search='Akropolismuseum%20680' (PDF file with image)
- Acropolis Museum