Parthenon South Metope VI

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A young Lapith is grasped by a centaur in a tight hold. The Lapith's missing right arm is brought up to resist the monster's advances, but overall the action is less violent here than in other metopes. The Lapith's head is located in Athens. The upper part of the relief has been restored. This metope was once owned by Count Choiseul Gouffier, a French ambassador to Turkey. A Centaur presses his left hand into the left shoulder of the Lapith, who tries to defend himself against the monster. A long chlamys falls behind the back of the Lapith. Of the Lapith only the torso and left upper arm survived. The head is in the Acropolis Museum, Athens. The Centaur's head, part of his back, right arm, and legs are missing. Parts of the frame are restored. The Metopes of the Parthenon are a series of marble panels, originally 92 in number, on the outside walls of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, forming part of the Doric frieze. The metopes of each side of the building had a different subject, and together with the pediments, Ionic frieze, and the statue of Athena Parthenos contained within the Parthenon, formed an elaborate program of sculptural decoration. Fifteen of the metopes from the south wall were removed and are now part of the Parthenon Marbles in the British Museum, and others have been destroyed. They are famous examples of Classical Greek high-relief. The metopes of the southern wall present the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs, also known as the Centauromachy. The battle between the Centaurs and the Lapiths broke out during the wedding feast of the king of the Lapiths and personal friend of Theseus, Pirithous. According to one version of the myth, the Centaurs attacked the Lapiths while being excluded from the celebrations. According to another, drunken Centaurs reacted violently under the influence of wine. The result was a fight between the Centaurs and the Lapiths and an attempt by the former to abduct the Lapith women. The Centaurs have faces with animal features whose linear drawings strongly recall theatrical masks. They are shown wearing animal skins and they are armed with tree-branches. On the other hand, the Lapiths fight nude or wearing a chlamys, several of them hold a sword or a spear which, as they were formerly metallic attachments, are now lost, while in some cases, the Lapiths use shields to protect themselves. There is a tendency to recognize the bridegroom Pirithous on metope 11 and the bride Deidamia on metope 25 but there is no conclusive evidence for these identifications. On metope 29, features of the mature Classical style can be traced on the face and the dress of the Lapith woman. The presence of household utensils such as hydrias indicates a battle fought indoors. Certain compositions are repeated whereas the overall execution of the scenes is less ambitious than the initial plans. Contrary to the eventual outcome of the battle, the Centaurs emerge victorious in this fearless fight, not the Lapiths. However, it is possible that the battle is still in its initial stages. In 1687, a cannonball struck the Parthenon during an attack on Athens by the Venetians. This event destroyed many metopes on the south wall, especially the central ones. The existence of these metopes is now known only from Carrey's drawings executed in 1674 and from their remaining fragments. Their subject matter is not altogether clear as they present uncommon iconographical details. Some experts recognize on them the representation of Attic dynastic myths while others propose a subject related to the myths of the Centauromachy heroes.