Parthenon South Metope V

The lapith was rendered in such high relief that the carving has broken free and is now lost . a drawing by Jacques carrey (1674) shows the missing Lapith, who attempts to escape the centaur's grasp, warding the monster off with his right arm. The centaur's head is in Wurzbug. 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 (14 each on the eastern and western walls, 32 each on the northern and southern walls) 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 the Classical Greek high-relief. The metopes of the southern wall (Plaques No. 1–12 and 21–32) present the Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs, also known as the Centauromachy, in which the mythological Athenian king Theseus took part. 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, insulted from being excluded from the celebrations, attacked the Lapiths while according to another, during the feast drunken Centaurs reacted violently under the influence of wine. The result was a fight between the Centaurs and the Lapiths and an attempt of 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 (ceramic pots with three handles used for mainly for storing water), which are also used as provisional weapons by the combatants, 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 and to the moral of the myth which emphasizes on the superiority of the civilized world over the primeval disorder, the winning party in this fearless fight are the Centaurs and 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 the metopes present uncommon iconographical details. Some experts recognize on them the representation of Attic dynastic myths (the stories of the royal families of Cecrops and Erechtheus) while others, attempting to unify mythologically the afore-mentioned scenes with the ones of the Centauromachy, propose a subject related to the myths of the Centauromachy heroes.其中一尊拉庇泰（Lapith）人像采用极高浮雕工艺制作，已脱离原雕刻载体，现已佚失。1674年雅克·卡雷（Jacques Carrey）的一幅素描留存了这尊已佚的拉庇泰人像形象：他正试图挣脱半人马（centaur）的抓握，以右臂将这头怪物挡开。该半人马的头部现藏于维尔茨堡。 帕特农神庙排档间饰（Metopes）是希腊雅典帕特农神庙外墙的一系列大理石饰板，原初共计92块，属于多立克饰带（Doric frieze）的组成部分。神庙每一侧墙面的排档间饰主题各不相同：东、西墙面各14块，北、南墙面各32块。它们与神庙山墙饰（pediments）、爱奥尼饰带（Ionic frieze）以及庙内的雅典娜·帕台农神像（Athena Parthenos）共同构成了一套精致完整的雕塑装饰体系。其中南侧墙面的15块排档间饰被移除，现归入大英博物馆藏帕特农石雕（Parthenon Marbles）系列，其余部分则已损毁。这些饰板是古希腊古典时期高浮雕工艺的经典范例。 南侧墙面的排档间饰（编号1至12、21至32）描绘了拉庇泰人与半人马之战（Battle of the Lapiths and Centaurs，亦称Centauromachy），神话中的雅典国王忒修斯（Theseus）亦参与其中。这场战斗爆发于拉庇泰国王皮里托俄斯（Pirithous，同时也是忒修斯的挚友）的婚宴之上。据一则神话版本所述，半人马因被排除在庆典之外而心生怨恨，随即突袭拉庇泰人；另一版本则称，宴席间醉酒的半人马在酒精作用下举止狂暴，最终引发冲突。双方随即开战，半人马试图掳掠拉庇泰女性。 半人马的面部带有动物特征，其线条刻画极具戏剧面具的视觉效果。他们身着兽皮，以树枝作为武器。反观拉庇泰人，则以赤身或外披希顿短斗篷（chlamys）的形象参战：部分战士手持刀剑或长矛——这类武器原属金属附件，如今已佚失；部分拉庇泰人则以盾牌自卫。 学界通常倾向于将第11号排档间饰中的人物认定为新郎皮里托俄斯，第25号饰板中的女性为新娘狄达弥亚（Deidamia），但上述身份认定均缺乏确凿证据。在第29号排档间饰上，可从拉庇泰女性的面部与服饰中窥见成熟古典风格的艺术特征。 饰板中出现了三柄储水陶罐（hydrias，一种主要用于储水的三柄陶瓷容器）这类家用器具，而战士们亦将其作为临时武器使用，这表明战斗场景被设定于室内。部分构图存在重复现象，且整体雕刻效果未达最初的创作预期。与这场战斗的最终结局及神话主旨相悖——该神话旨在彰显文明世界对原始混沌的优越性——此次激战中获胜的一方并非拉庇泰人，而是半人马。不过，这也有可能是因为场景定格于战斗的初始阶段。 1687年，威尼斯军队进攻雅典时，一枚炮弹击中帕特农神庙，损毁了南侧墙面的大量排档间饰，尤其是中央区域的饰板。如今，这些佚失饰板的存在仅能通过雅克·卡雷1674年的素描及其残存残片得以证实。由于这些排档间饰带有罕见的图像学细节，其主题至今尚未完全明晰。部分学者认为其描绘的是阿提卡王朝神话（即刻克洛普斯（Cecrops）与厄瑞克修斯（Erechtheus）的王室家族故事），而另一些学者则尝试从神话叙事上将前述场景与半人马之战相统一，提出其主题与半人马之战的英雄神话相关。