Ephebe of Marathon Head, bonded bronze
Ephebe of Marathon Head, bonded bronze
Quick info
replica | bonded bronze + marble | total height 36 cm
Detailed description
Ephebe of Marathon Head, bonded bronze
With the triumvirate of Skopas, Praxiteles and Lysipp, the "Beautiful Style" of the Greek Late Classical period was born. Praxiteles avoided anything heroic or gigantic in his sculptures, even his virtuously sculpted gods appear in an amiable, human form. His famous originals, such as the "Aphrodite of Knidos", the "Hermes of Olympia", the "Lizard Killer", and the "Pouring Satyr", have been irretrievably lost - but Roman replicas still bear witness to them. But a unique find shook the art world: Greek fishers recovered a youthful statue of incomparable beauty near Marathon, which can be attributed almost beyond doubt to Praxiteles. It is probably Hermes who enraptures posterity and includes us in the blissful silence of his Elysian existence.
Original: Athens National Archaeological Museum. Praxiteles, Attic, c. 330 BC.
Bonded bronze. Height with marble pedestal 36 cm.
Producer: ars mundi Edition Max Büchner GmbH, Bödekerstraße 13, 30161 Hanover, Germany, [email protected]
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About Praxiteles
Praxiteles (c. 395 BC to c. 320 BC) was a Greek sculptor in Athens in the 4th century. He is praised by Pliny for his art of carving marble. However, his works in bronze are also known. Contrary to today's idea that the noble effect of marble is only caused by the white stone, Praxiteles had his sculptures painted by the painter Nikias. Through written records, in which his works are described, over fifty works are known to us today. These sculptures would be lost if the Romans had not made replicas.
Praxiteles' subjects were the gods of Olympus, whom he depicted as eternally youthful. In addition, portrait and funerary statues testify to the popularity of the Attic sculptor among his contemporaries.
His most famous statue and, according to Pliny, the most beautiful "in the whole world" is the "Aphrodite of Cnidus". Fifty large-scale Roman replicas of the beautiful woman undressing for her bath have been preserved. In addition to other images of Aphrodite, Praxiteles also created Eros statues, whose nudity gave rise to numerous scandalous anecdotes. One of his most famous statues of youth is the "Apollo Sauroktonos", which has been preserved in twenty Roman replicas. The most successful of these can be admired in the Louvre in Paris and the Vatican.
The sculptor always succeeded in lending grace to his statues by means of a beautifully curved contour. Especially in his images of the gods, he attached more importance to a differentiated depiction of the soul's feelings than to the reproduction of the sublime character typical of the time, thus giving them a human appearance.
Minoan Culture, Mycenean Culture
Cretan art is also called Minoan art, named after the legendary King Minos.
Cretan-Minoan art is the art of Crete from about 2900 to 1600 B.C., the Mycenaean art from Crete and the Greek mainland from about 1600 to 1100 B.C., continuing in Crete until 1200 B.C.
In the shaft graves of Mycenae, which reached their peak in the 14th and 13th centuries B.C., the German archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann discovered significant evidence of this culture. One preserved monument is the Lion Gate from the 13th century B.C.
Splendidly decorated vases are the artworks of ceramics that have best survived the turmoil of millennia. The famous Snake Goddess (around 1500 B.C.) is a faience statuette that has been recovered from the ruins of the Repositories Temple of the Knossos palace. Bronze vessels from that time were primarily used in the household. Daggers, swords, and armour were also made of bronze.
The jewellery of the Cretan-Mycenaean women was made of gold, rock crystal, lapis lazuli, ivory, faience, and glass.
Geometric Culture
As a continuation of Late Mycenaean art, geometric art developed on the Greek mainland towards the end of the 11th century B.C. Replacing the naturalistic Crete-Mycenaean forms, geometric art introduced a mathematically ordered style. Another new feature was the use of the ruler and the compass. Jewellry from this time is also based on strict geometric principles.
Archaic Culture
Temple architecture in the 8th and 7th century B.C. developed significantly. Initially, mudbrick and wood were used for building, later the forms were transferred to stone. A monumental style developed in sculpture. Materials such as marble, bronze, clay, and limestone were used. The nude young male figure type was used to represent gods, heroes, and victorious athletes. However, gods or other consecration figures were portrayed as clothed.
In addition to freestanding sculptures, relief art developed, which was preferably used for decoration of temples.
Statuettes made of clay and bronze first appeared in the 6th century B.C., depicting humans, animals, and mystical beings, all of high quality.
Classical Culture (5th and 4th century B.C.)
The beginning of the Greek classical art coincides with the time of the great statesman Pericles. Because of his democratic politics, Athens became the centre of cultural life and artistic creation in ancient Greece.
Classic architecture refined the shapes and proportions to perfection. The Temple of Zeus at Olympia, the Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens, and other major temple buildings were built in that time.
In sculpture, the time of the Severe style began. The rigid forms of the earlier period were outdated, the human body was studied anatomically. Top works of the Severe style include the Charioteer of Delphi and the Artemision Bronze, which was recovered from the sea by fishermen.
The high classical period saw further progress. Sculptors such as Myron, Phidias, and Polykleitos created sculptures that affect the statuary art to the present day (e.g. "Discobolus," "Athena-Marsyas Group," and "Riace Bronzes," etc.)
In the 4th century, a romantic conception prevailed. Praxiteles and Lysippos determined the art of the time. Sculptures such as "Hermes and the Infant Dionysus," "Pouring Satyr," and especially the "Aphrodite of Knidos" are magnificent examples of the artistic conception of Classical Greece.
Hellenistic Art
With Alexander the Great's conquests, the Greek art dominated the Mediterranean and the Orient. In temple architecture, the Ionic and Corinthian style prevailed.
The Hellenistic sculptural period was initiated by Lysippos. Temple complexes, such as those in Pergamon, were richly decorated with statues. At the beginning of the 2nd century B. C., The "Winged Victory of Samothrace" was created, and towards the end of the century, the "Venus de Milo." The period of Hellenistic sculpture reached its final peak with "Laocoön Group". The painting of that time was determined by Apelles. The Hellenistic painters depicted themes such as historical events, portraits, and genre paintings.
Bronze powder is polymer-bonded. Special polishing and patination techniques give the surface of the casting an appearance similar to the authentic bronze.
A true-to-the-original reproduction of an artwork in the same size and with the best possible material and colour uniformity.
The mould is usually taken directly from the original so that the replication reproduces even the finest details. After casting the replication, using the most appropriate method, the surface is polished, patinated, gilded or painted according to the original.
A replication of ars mundi is a recognizable copy of the original.
A plastic work of sculptural art made of wood, stone, ivory, bronze or other metals.
While sculptures made of wood, ivory, or stone are carved directly from the material block, in bronze casting, a working model is prepared at first. Usually, it is made of clay or other easily mouldable materials.
The prime time of sculpture after the Greek and Roman antiquity was the Renaissance. Impressionism gave a new impulse to the sculptural arts. Contemporary artists such as Jorg Immendorf, Andora, and Markus Lupertz also enriched sculptures with outstanding works.