Funerary Monument of a Greek Warrior
Artist
Greek
, from Megara (Attica)
Date420-400 BCE
MediumPentelic marble
Dimensions183.8 x 94.9 x 26.3 cm (72 3/8 x 37 3/8 x 10 3/8 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1936.21
DescriptionLife size figure, facing left, dressed in a short chiton, right shoulder bare, a cloak, shield on left arm with sword slung round him, left hand holds a spear across his shoulder, in right hand a conical cap. Before figure is the remains of an altar of round stones. Found near Megara, brought to Cairness, Aberdeenshire, Scotland over 100 years ago by Thomas Gordon.Label TextThis grave monument honors a soldier who probably died in battle. The heroic warrior carries a shield, spear and sword hung from a strap around his shoulder. The surface shows signs of deliberate damage, likely from the weapons of a later army. Yet this piece remains one of the most important Athenian-school gravestones in American collections. In style and spirit, it recalls the great friezes of the Parthenon.ProvenanceReportedly found in 1811 at Megara, in Attica, and brough to England by Dr. William MacMichael [1783-1839]. By 1836, General Thomas Gordon [1788-1841], Cairness House, Aberdeenshire, Scotland; by descent in family to Col. C. T. Gordon; (July 28, 1936, Sotheby's London, Catalogue of Egyptian, Greek, Indian and Roman Antiquities…, No. 70); (Brummer Gallery, New York, NY, in half ownership with Dr. Jacob Hirsch [1874-1955], New York, Switzerland, and Paris); August 19, 1936, purchased by the Worcester Art Museum.
On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 102
