Metrological Relief
Encyclopedia
The Metrological Relief (Ashmolean Museum number: AN.Michaelis 83) is an Ancient Greek
relief
of a man with arms outstretched, cut with hammer and chisel on a triangular, marble
slab between 460 to 430 BC. It was found in Turkey
or the Greek Islands in 1625–26 AD by a chaplain
called William Petty collecting sculptures for Thomas Howard
, Earl
of Arundel
. It was sold to Sir William Fermor
in 1691 and then presented to Oxford University in 1755. It is now on display at the Ashmolean Museum
in Oxford
, United Kingdom
. It was the only known metrological relief until 1988 when another was found on Salamis Island
, Greece
.
fathom or orguia. There is also an image of a foot above the right forearm which measures 29.7 cm, an imprint of a clenched fist over the right forearm of 11 cm and fingers, which measure between 1.85 and 2 cm. Eric Fernie studied the relief and noted its ancient measurement of the Greek fathom.
Ancient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
relief
Relief
Relief is a sculptural technique. The term relief is from the Latin verb levo, to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is thus to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane...
of a man with arms outstretched, cut with hammer and chisel on a triangular, marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
slab between 460 to 430 BC. It was found in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
or the Greek Islands in 1625–26 AD by a chaplain
Chaplain
Traditionally, a chaplain is a minister in a specialized setting such as a priest, pastor, rabbi, or imam or lay representative of a religion attached to a secular institution such as a hospital, prison, military unit, police department, university, or private chapel...
called William Petty collecting sculptures for Thomas Howard
Thomas Howard
Thomas Howard or Tom Howard may refer to:*Thomas Howard , American football linebacker*Thomas Howard , former outfielder in Major League Baseball...
, Earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
of Arundel
Arundel
Arundel is a market town and civil parish in the South Downs of West Sussex in the south of England. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Worthing east southeast, Littlehampton to the south and Bognor Regis to...
. It was sold to Sir William Fermor
William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster
William Fermor, 1st Baron Leominster , was an English connoisseur.Fermor was the eldest son of Sir William Fermor, 1st Baronet, of Easton Neston, Northamptonshire, by Mary, daughter of Hugh Perry of London and widow of Henry Noel, second son of Edward, viscount Campden. He succeeded as second...
in 1691 and then presented to Oxford University in 1755. It is now on display at the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It was the only known metrological relief until 1988 when another was found on Salamis Island
Salamis Island
Salamis , is the largest Greek island in the Saronic Gulf, about 1 nautical mile off-coast from Piraeus and about 16 km west of Athens. The chief city, Salamina , lies in the west-facing core of the crescent on Salamis Bay, which opens into the Saronic Gulf...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.
Measurements
The relief measures 2.09 m long, 62 cm high by ca. 10 cm thick and is broken over the figure's left forearm but when complete it measured one GreekAncient Greece
Ancient Greece is a civilization belonging to a period of Greek history that lasted from the Archaic period of the 8th to 6th centuries BC to the end of antiquity. Immediately following this period was the beginning of the Early Middle Ages and the Byzantine era. Included in Ancient Greece is the...
fathom or orguia. There is also an image of a foot above the right forearm which measures 29.7 cm, an imprint of a clenched fist over the right forearm of 11 cm and fingers, which measure between 1.85 and 2 cm. Eric Fernie studied the relief and noted its ancient measurement of the Greek fathom.