Marble sphinx on a cavetto capital
Inscribed on the plinth, I am the monument of [...]linos
This sphinx and capital once crowned the tall grave shaft of a youth or man named Philinos or Thalinos. They belong to the earliest type of grave stele produced in Attica during the sixth century B.C. Stylistically, the sphinx is related to such early statues as the kouros (youth) displayed in the gallery to your left. It has the same four-sided structure with grooved indications of anatomical forms and large, flat, stylized features. In the early Archaic period, Greek sculptors learned much from the Egyptians about carving large-scale stone monuments. The simple concave form of this capital imitates the cavetto molding often found in Egyptian architecture.
This sphinx and capital once crowned the tall grave shaft of a youth or man named Philinos or Thalinos. They belong to the earliest type of grave stele produced in Attica during the sixth century B.C. Stylistically, the sphinx is related to such early statues as the kouros (youth) displayed in the gallery to your left. It has the same four-sided structure with grooved indications of anatomical forms and large, flat, stylized features. In the early Archaic period, Greek sculptors learned much from the Egyptians about carving large-scale stone monuments. The simple concave form of this capital imitates the cavetto molding often found in Egyptian architecture.
Artwork Details
- Title: Marble sphinx on a cavetto capital
- Period: Archaic
- Date: ca. 580–575 BCE
- Culture: Greek, Attic
- Medium: Marble
- Dimensions: H. with akroterion 28 3/8 in. (72 cm)
- Classification: Stone Sculpture
- Credit Line: Fletcher Fund, 1924
- Object Number: 24.97.87
- Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art
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ca. 300 BCE
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late 6th century BCE
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ca. 400–390 BCE
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