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furnaceontheleftp,erhapsaidedbyanassistantwhopeeks from behind.The man in the center,perhaps the supervisor,leans on a staffw, hile a third worker assembles a leaping figure that is bracedagainstamoldedsupportT. heunattachedheadlies between his feet. THE CHARIOTEER. Aspectacularandrarelife-sizebronzet,he CHARIOTEER (FIG.5 25),cast about 470 BCE,documents the skills of Early Classical bronze-casters.It was found in the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi,together with fragments of a bronze chariot and horses,all buried after an earthquake in 373 BCE.(The earthquake may have saved them from the fate of most ancient bronzes,which were melted down so the material could be recycled and made intoanewwork.) Accordingtoitsinscriptiont,hesculptural group commemorated a victory by a driver in the Pythian Games of 478 or 474 BCE. The face of this handsome youth is highly idealizedb, ut it almostseemstopreservethelikenessofaspecificindividual, calling to mind the report of the Roman historian and naturalist Pliny the Elder that three-time winners in Greek competitions had their features memorialized in stone.The charioteer s head turns slightly to one sideh, is intensef,ocused expression enhanced by glitteringo,nyxeyesandfinecoppereyelashesH. estandsat attention,sheathed in a long robe with folds falling naturally under theirownweightv, aryinginwidthanddepthy, etseemingly capable of swaying and rippling with the charioteer s movement. Thefeetw,iththeircloselyobservedtoest,oenailsa,ndswelled veins over the instep,are so realistic that they seem to have been cast from molds made from the feet of a living person. THE RIACE WARRIORS. The sea as well as the earth has protected ancientbronzesfromrecyclingA. srecentlyas1972d,ivers recovered a pair of heavily corrodedl,arger-than-life-size bronze figuresfromtheseabedoffthecoastofRiaceI,talyK. nownas the RiaceWarriorst,heydatetoabout460 450 BCEJ.ustwhat sentthemtothebottomisnotknownb,utconservatorshave restored them to their original condition (see The Riace W ar- riors, page127). The WARRIOR in FIG.5 26 reveals a striking balance between the idealized smoothness of perfected anatomy conforming to Early Classical standards and the reproduction of details observed from nature,such as the swelling veins in the backs of the hands. Contrapposto is even more evident here than in the Kritios Boy , andthetonedmusculaturesuggestsayouthfulnessinconsistent with the maturity of the heavy beard and almost haggard face.The lifelikequalityofthisbronzeisfurtherheightenedbyinserted eyeballsofboneandcoloredglassc,opperinlaysonlipsand nipples,silver plating on the teeth that show between parted lips, and attached eyelashes and eyebrows of separately cast strands of bronze.This accommodation of the intense study of the human figure to an idealism that belies the irregularity of nature will be continued by artists in the High Classical period. CERAMIC PAINTING Greek potters and painters continued to work with the red-figure technique throughouthefifthcentury BCE, refining their ability to create supple, roundefdigurepso,seidnever morceomplicateadndynamic compositions.One of the most prolific EarlyClassicalartistswasDouris, whosesignatureappearsonover40 surviving potsd, ecorated with scenes fromeverydaylifeaswellasfrom mythologyH. isconspicuousskillin composing complex figural scenes that respondtothecomplicatedand irregular pictorial fields of a variety of vesseltypesisevidentinafriezeof friskysatyrsthathepaintedc.480 BCE aroundtheperimeterofa psykter (FIG5. 27).This strangely shaped pot wasawinecoolerm, adetofloatina krater (see A Closer Look, page 119) filled with chilled wateri,ts extended bottomservingasakeeltokeepit from tipping over. Like the krater,the psykter was a vessel meant for use in exclusive male drinkingparties symposia andthe decorationwaschosenwiththis contexitnmindT.heacrobatic virtuosity of the satyrs is matched by thaertist oswvnirtuositiyn composing them as an interlocking set ofdiagonalgesturesthatalternately challengeandcorrespondwiththe bulging form around which they are painted.Theplayfulinteractionofsatyrswiththeirkylixesmust have amused the tipsy revelers,especially when this pot was gently bobbingwithinthekraterm, akingthesatyrsseemtobewalking around in circles on top of the wine.One satyr cups his kylix to his buttocks,juxtaposing convex and concave shapes.Another,balanced in a precarious handstand,seems to be observing his own reflection within the wine of his kylix. But Douris was also capable of more lyrical compositions,as seen in the painting he placed within a kylix(FIG.5 28),similar in shapetothoseusedaspropsbythesatyrsonthepsykter.This tondo (circular painting) was an intimate picture.It became visible only to the user of the cup when he tilted up the kylix to drink from it;otherwise,sitting on a table,the painting would have been obscured by the dark wine pool within it.A languidly posed and elegantly draped youth stands behind an altar pouring wine from an oinochoe (winejug)intothekylixofamoredignified, beardedoldermanE. uphronios tentativeessayinforeshortening Sarpedon s bent leg on his krater (see A Closer Look, page 119) blossomsintheworkofDouristobecomefull-scaleformal projectionasthegracefulyouthonthiskylixbendshisarmfrom the background to project his frontal oinochoe over the laterally held kylix of his seated companion. For the well-educated reveler using this cup at a symposium, there were several possible readings for the scene he was observing. ThiscouldbethelegendaryAtheniankingKekrops,whoappears, identifiedbyinscriptioni,nthesceneDourispaintedonthe underside of the kylix.Also on the bottom of the cup are Zeus and theyoungTrojanprinceGanymedew,homthesupremegod abductedtoOlympustoserveashiscup-bearerO. rs,incethe symposia themselves were the site of amorous conquests between olderandyoungermen,theuserofthiscupmighthavefoundhis own situation mirrored in what he was observing while he drank. THE HIGH CLASSICAL PERIOD, C. 450 400 BCE The High Classical period of Greek art lasted only a half-century, 450 to 400BCE.The use of the word high to qualify the art of this timereflectsthevaluejudgmentsofarthistorianswhohave considered this period a pinnacle of artistic refinement,producing works that set a standard of unsurpassed excellence.Some have even referred to this half-century as Greece s Golden Age, although thesedecadeswerealsomarkedbyturmoilanddestruction. WithoutacommonenemyS,partaandAthensturnedoneach otherinaseriesofconflictsknownasthePeloponnesian War. Sparta dominated the Peloponnese peninsula and much of the rest ofmainlandGreecew,hileAthenscontrolledtheAegeanand became the wealthy and influential center of a maritime empire. T oday we remember Athens more for its cultural and intellectual brilliance and its experiments with democratic government,which reached its zenith in the fifth century BCE under the charismatic leaderPerikles(c4.95 429 BCE)t,hanfortheimperialistic tendencies of its considerable commercial power. Except for a few brief interludes,Perikles dominated Athenian politicsandculturefrom462 BCE untilhisdeathin429 BCE. Although comedy writers of the time sometimes mocked him, calling him Zeus and The Olympian because of his haughty personalityh, ewasadynamicc,harismaticpoliticalandmilitary leader.He was also a great patron of the arts,supporting the use of Athenian wealth for the adornment of the city a, nd encouraging artists to promote a public image of peace,prosperity ,and power. P e r i k l e s s a i d o f h i s c i t y a n d i t s a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s : F u t u r e generations will marvel at us,as the present age marvels at us now . It was a prophecy he himself helped fulfill. THE ACROPOLIS Athens originated as a Neolithic acropolis,or part of the city on top of a hill (akro means high and polis means city ) that later served as a fortress and sanctuary .As the city grew t,he Acropolis became the religious and ceremonial center devoted primarily to the goddess Athena,the city s patron and protector. A f t e r P e r s i a n t r o o p s d e s t r o y e d t h e A c r o p o l i s i n 4 8 0 B C E t, h e Athenians vowed to keep it in ruins as a memorialb, ut Perikles convinced them to rebuild it,arguing that this project honored the through an impressive porticoed gatehouse called the Propylaia, they would have seen a huge bronze figure of Athena Promachos (the Defender),designed and executed by Pheidias between about 465and455 BCES.ailorsenteringtheAthenianportofPiraeus, about 10 miles away,could see the sun reflected off her helmet and spear tip.Behind this statue was a walled precinct that enclosed the Erechtheion,a temple dedicated to several deities. ReligiousbuildingsandvotivestatuesfilledthehilltopO. n therightstoodthelargestbuildingontheAcropolis the Parthenona, temple dedicated to Athena Parthenos (the Virgin). Visitors approached the temple from its northwest corner,seeing both its short and long side,instantly grasping the imposing size of thisbuildingi,solatedlikeaworkofsculptureelevatedona pedestalW.ithpermissionfromthepriestst,heycouldhave climbed the east steps to look into the cellaw, here they would haveseenPheidias colossalgoldandivorystatueof Athena outfitted in armor and holding a shield in one hand and a winged Nike (Victory) in the other which was installed in the temple and dedicated 438 BCE (FIG.5 30).