http://collections.mfa.org/collections/objectsrdf/315166;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEAGR.Greek Collection Highlightshttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1203851/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1222035/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEDekadrachm (Demareteion) of Syracuse with quadrigaabout 470–465 B.C.SilverObverse: Quadriga right, horses walking, driven by charioteer holding goad in right hand, reins in both hands. Above, Nike flying right, crowning the horses. In exergue, lion running right. Border of dots.Reverse: Head of Arethusa to right, laureate, wearing earring and necklace with pendants. Hair waved in front, turned up at back, one loose lock behind ear; ends of hair gathered up and tied with double cord. Inscription in Greek around.Around whole: four dolphins.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/1205;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/801316/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEDrinking cup (kylix) depicting pentathletesabout 510–500 B.C.the Proto-Panaitian GroupCeramic, Red FigureInterior: Youth with a jumping weight (halter) in each hand, running to right. He looks back over his shoulder indicating that he is probably not about to jump. Two javelins appear vertically behind him. Inscribed "Athenodotos is handsome" (ATHENODOTOS KALOS) Exterior side A: A youth runs to the left, looking back. The youth behind him carries a pick used to loosen the dirt in the jumping pit. At the far left another athlete picks up a javelin, with a thong in his other hand. Exterior side B: Two youths holding javelins run to the right. A third athlete runs, holding a pair jumping weights in his left hand and gesturing with his right. Inscribed "The boy is handsome" (HO PAIS KALOS)http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/153684;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1000616/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEEarring with Nike driving a two-horse chariotabout 350–325 B.C.Gold, enamelEarring in form of Nike driving a two-horse chariot (biga). The figures are modeled in the round and form a pendant suspended from a disc in the shape of a honeysuckle palmette. Wearing a belted chiton (tunic), a full-length skirt, and several items of jewelry, Nike leans forward, her left hand pulling on the reins of the horses, whose front legs rear sharply. The features on the goddess's face are crisp and her expression resolute, while the animals appear startled and tense. Raised as if in flight, Nike's elaborate, feathery, and finely chased wings provide an elegant counterbalance to the dynamic composition.The ornament is composed of more than a hundred individual elements soldered together. The bodies of the figures are crafted from gold sheet that is embellished with wirework details and small gold balls. The honeysuckle palmette is fashioned into curved petals and circular stamens outlined with fine twisted wires; remnants of enamel survive on several of the stamens. In the center of the leaf is a tear-shaped fruit encrusted with dense gold granulation. A hoop on the underside was probably attached to an ear wire, which is now missing. http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/155707;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1000613/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEFemale figure, Chalandriani typeabout 2300–2000 B.C.Marble from the Greek islandsThe arms are folded across the abdomen, the left above the right, as is usually the case. The legs and toes are indicated by incised lines, as is the pubic triangle. A similar line runs down the back from between the shoulders or shoulder blades to the division of the feet. Neck restored. The neck is restored in marble, but the head is the original. Enough of the original neck survives top and bottom to confirm the essential correctness of restoration, in the present tubular shape. There are other slight chips and discolorations; the somewhat crusty surfaces have a yellow patina.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/151007;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1203851/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEHead of Aphrodite ("The Bartlett Head" )about 330–300 B.C.Parian marbleSo-called Bartlett Head of Aphrodite, associated with the style of Praxiteles. Important and rare original example of late Classical or early Hellenistic sculpture. Neck is worked for insertion into a full length statue, now lost. Well preserved except for a small break at the tip of the nose.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/151059;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1016159/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEHead of Zeus350–340 B.C.Marble from Mt. Pentelikon near AthensThis over-lifesize marble head, originally part of a seated or standing statue, likely represents a reinterpretation of the Olympian Zeus by a sculptor of a later generation. The symmetry of the hair, beard, and facial features impart a sense of tranquil gravity suited to this all-powerful divinity. Cuttings on the crown of the head suggest that a headdress, or polos, once sat on top. Condition: The base of the neck is worked for insertion in a statue. The greater part of the nose has been restored in plaster, after the Zeus on the Hadrianic coin of Elis. Some chips from the base of the neck in front and from the locks of hair falling behind the ears are also missing. Incrustation has been removed from the right side of the face. There are two holes for dowels in the crown. The head was made separately for insertion in a statue, which was draped. The face was turned somewhat to its own right. At the left side of the neck is a small fragment of the himation which was draped over the god's shoulder. A depression running around the skull suggests that the marble head was encircled by a wreath made separately of bronze.Scientific Analysis: Harvard Lab No. HI255: Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.63 / delta18O -5.81, Attribution - Pentelikon, Justification - Fine grained marble.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/151048;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1016163/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FELibation bowl (phiale mesomphalos)about 625 B.C.GoldOne of the earliest surviving examples of a phiale in precious metal and a rare example in gold, this vessel is simply decorated, segmented into nine lobes and embellished with bands of beading on parts of the interior. On the exterior, just below the rim, an incised inscription in archaic Corinthian dialect reads: "The sons of Kypselos dedicated [this bowl] from Heraklea." http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/238352;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1000608/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEMantiklos "Apollo"about 700–675 B.C.BronzeA votive statuette of Apollo evidenced by the inscription on the front of the thighs of this standing nude male figure; inscribed in archaic Boeotian characters "Mantiklos donated me as a tithe to the far shooter, the bearer of the Silver Bow. You, Phoebus (Apollo) give something pleasing in return." There are marks of attachment on the top of the head and a hole for attachment in the forehead. The hole in the left hand has been identified as support for a bow. It has been suggested also that the figure was a warrior, wearing a helmet and carrying a spear in the left hand and a shield on the right arm.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/152660;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1146358/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEMixing bowl (bell krater) with the death of Aktaion and a pursuit sceneabout 470 B.C.the Pan PainterCeramic, Red FigureTwo sided red-figure bell krater used for mixing wine and water. Side A: Artemis shooting an arrow at Aktaion who has fallen to the ground attacked by his hunting dogs. Aktaion was a hunter, and the goddess of the hunt killed him by turning him into a stag, so that his own dogs tore him to pieces. This elegant rendering of the myth, with Artemis drawing her bow for the coup de grace, and the helpless hero sinking beneath the onslaught of the hounds, is considered one of the greatest of all Athenian vase paintings.Side B: The artist is named the Pan Painter after this scene of the goat-god Pan chasing a young shepherd wearing a fawn-skin (nebris), and a rustic sun hat. The god of flocks obviously has love on his mind, perhaps inspired by the ithyphallic herm standing on a hill in the background. Herms were stone or wooden shafts with the head of the god Hermes, rudimentary arms, and a large carved phallos. Apart from their religious significance, which is poorly understood, they often served to mark boundaries and the intersections of roads. The rustic setting of this herm relates it to Priapos, or some other god of fertility. Pan is not represented in Athenian art until after the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C., when he was said to have caused a "panic" in the Persian ranks. When one remembers that, like the Persians, Aktaion was punished for his pride, and that his death occurred on the slopes of Mt. Kithairon, the site of the Persian defeat at Plataia, the entire vase becomes a symbol and a memorial of triumph of Athens over Persians. Condition: Broken and repaired.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/153654;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1227978/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEScaraboid gem with a two-horse chariotlate 5th–early 4th century B.C.ChalcedonyIntaglio. Pierced for stringing (horizontal). Motif oriented horiztontally. Two-horse chariot (synoris) and charioteer, facing right. The positioning of the horses, with the one behind moving more quickly and out ahead of the one in front, indicates that the chariot is rounding a post at high speed. Motif situated on a ground line.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/240950;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/909122/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEStatue of Athena Parthenos (the Virgin Goddess)2nd or 3rd century A.D.Marble from Mt. Pentelikon near AthensRoman-period replica of the cult statue that once stood within the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis, a chryselephantine (gold and ivory) colossal statue designed by the master sculptor Phidias and dedicated in 438 B.C. The goddess wears a helmet on which are remains of Pegasoi on either side flanking a sphinx of which only the paws remain; above the visor are parts of protomes, probably deer; griffins in relief on the cheek pieces. Curls frame the face, tresses fall on her shoulders. Gorgon on aegis which is edged by snakes; snakes encircle her waist forming knot at the center.Condition:The head and neck were carved of a lighter marble than the rest of the figure. Joins are confirmed by matching curls above the left shoulder and the hair below the helmet and on back of aegis. Restored areas include a small part of the left eyelid, tip of the nose and left nostril, much of the lower lip and the end of the chin, and the curl of hair on the right side of her neck, including a small portion of the curved lower end of the helmet. There are no restorations on the body. Traces of paint remain on the lower curls on Athena's left shoulder. Ancient iron pegs are visible in the troughs of the arms, along with larger dowel holes for fitting the arms and the weight they supported. Some surfaces were carefully cleaned long ago; others preserve good root marks.Scientific Analysis:Harvard Lab No. HI752: Isotope ratios - delta13C +2.76 / delta18O -8.63, Attribution - Pentelikon, Justification - Sparkling, fine grained marble.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/150203;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1016153/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEStatuette of Eros wearing the lionskin of Herakleslate 1st century B.C. – early 1st century A.D.the Diphilos' workshopTerracottaStatuette of a winged Eros, masquerading as Herakles. He has his weight on his right leg and his left placed a little to the side. His left hand is extended with the palm looking down and he has his right hand on his hip behind his back (maybe trying to hide something like the apples of the Hesperides?). He wears a lion skin, which is covering his shoulders and the forepaws are knotted on his chest above a disk; the hind legs hang behind his legs, the paws fitting under his feet. Around his left leg and foot something is wound, which resembles a serpent but it is probably the lion's tail; Eros's head is covered with the lion's head, under which Eros wears a thick circlet. He has a drapery hanging down his right arm and he wears a bracelet on his left upper arm and wrist and anklets on his right ankle; he also wears bands on his thighs, that on the left leg being double with an inset amulet. On the back two wings protrude. His body is chubby and on a semi-dancing pose. The playful depiction of Eros relates to a Hellenistic epigram which describes a statue of Herakles by Lysippos, in which Eros has stripped Herakles of his attributes.There are traces of red on chest, stomach and pupils of eyes;pink on left leg;reddish-brown on hair;yellow and red outside the lion's skin, red on inside of lion skin;yellow with super-imposed gilding on both wings, circlet and left thigh ornament; yellow in bracelet of upper left arm; pink on both wings.Fingers, apart from right thumb, are missing and the left wing is mended.Yellow-red clay.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/152112;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1016160/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEThree-sided relief with a scene of weighing ("the Boston Throne")about 460 B.C.Marble, Dolomitic from the Greek island of ThasosA three-sided relief cut from a single block. Seated on the right is Demeter with her head veiled in mourning for her daughter Persephone. Aphrodite is seated opposite consulting with her son Eros at the center who holds the scales (made from a separate piece of marble) to determine how long Persephone will stay in the Underworld. Short sides: a boy with a lyre; an old nurse.Perhaps, the relief served as an enclosure for an outdoor altar."Sculpture in Stone" no. 30, pp. 20-25Portions of the surface have been carefully cleaned, but some incrustation remains, especially on the garment of the figure on the left wing, and marks left by the roots of plants are visible in places. The Ludovisi relief and the Warren relief show similar flaws and the same light grayish-brown patina.The reliefs themselves have suffered comparatively slight injuries. On the left wing the lower temination of the scroll, which in this case projected beyond the end of the slab, is lost, together with the ends of the old woman's feet. The edges of the palmettes at the corners are broken off, and there are small breaks along the lower edges at the three sides, especially at the angles. The noses of all five figures, the toes of the winged youth, the plectron of the lyre-player, and the pegs of the lyre are damaged. Certain other changes were produced, partly by accident and partly by design, in Roman times, when the relief was removed from its original position. As on the Ludovisi relief, marks made by crowbars, used to pry the monument from its pedestal, are visible at several places along the bottom, on both the outer and the inner faces. On the left wing an irregular groove runs across the bottom surface close to the corner, and continues obliquely upward across the face of the relief.Scientific Analysis: Marble has been scientifically tested with X-Ray Diffraction and determined to be Dolomitic. Harvard Lab No. HI090: Isotope ratios - delta13C +3.48 / delta18O -3.06, Attribution - Thasos-Cape Vathy, Justification - Dolomitic by XRD.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/151033;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1000612/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEUpper part of a grave stele: seated sphinx (sphinx and capital)about 530 B.C.Marble, either island (sphinx and plinth) or Pentelic (capital)Sphinx and plinth were carved in island marble separately from the Pentelic marble capital. This plinth was let into a socket at the top of the capital and secured in a bed of molten lead. There is a large socket on the underside of the capital, with a pour hole from the back side. The abacus and the base of the capital are flush with the volutes, and all surfaces have been smoothed, except the plinth of the sphinx, which shows point or punch marks. The sphinx crouches to the right, with hind-quarters lifted and head turned to the front. The end of her curving tail rests on her right haunch. The hair, originally black, is shown as a mass descending to the shoulders and divided vertically and horizontally by grooves. The feathers of the wings are carved in relief and were painted alternately green, black, red, and blue. The feathers on the breast form a scale pattern, painted in alternate rows of red and green. The rib of each wing and the flat molding at the top of each foreleg are green. The capital is of lyre design, consisting of two double volutes, with palmettes in all the interstices. It is open in the center and richly decorated with incised and painted designs. The front and ends of the base are enriched with a delicately carved guilloche. The abacus has four-pointed stars set on three-petaled palmettes, three in front and one on each end. The outer sides of the volutes are incised and painted with a large lotus and palmette pattern. Alternating red and black colors complement the form, carving and incision. Sphinx and capital have been broken into a number of pieces and rejoined, with slight restorations at the joins. There is more restoration in the lower part of the capital than elsewhere, but this is to a great extent supplanted by an extra piece acquired nearly twenty years after the original purchase was first undertaken. The surfaces are very fresh. The fragments with the parts of the dedicatory inscription have the handsome golden yellow patina of the best Pentelic marble.See: 40.724a-b for inscribed fragments.See also Cls. Inv. 186. Nov. 2012: please note that Cls. Inv. 186 is actually 40.724b.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/151019;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEhttp://collections.mfa.org/internal/media/dispatcher/1354995/resize%3Aformat%3Dfull;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FEWater jar (hydria) with the chariot of Achilles dragging the corpse of Hektorabout 520–510 B.C.the Antiope GroupCeramic, Black FigureA hydria with the dramatic scene of Achilles dragging the body of Hector behind his chariot; to the left Priam and Hecuba, parents of Hector, mourn him in the Trojan palace as Achilles with round shield stares at them; to the right, the tomb of Patroklos with his soul charging out from it; snake in front. Winged figure of Iris sent to plead for a ransom of Hector's body. Greek inscriptions of the name 'Hector' (HECTOR) above the body of Hector, and 'Patroklos' (PATROKLOS) on the tomb.On the shoulder: Two quadrigae, one driven by Athena. Herakles pursues Kyknos while Ares rushes from left.http://collections.mfa.org/objects/detailsrdf/153447;jsessionid=6EA587A6D33987AC097C04A2269ED8FE