A Catalogue of Sculpture in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities Part 15

Slab from the left end of a frieze. A woman stands near the foot of a couch upon which a dead man is laid out. Only the end of the couch and the left foot of the corpse remain. The woman wears a long chiton, himation, cap with ta.s.sel, and earrings. Behind her stands a male attendant, wearing a short chiton, drawn up, beneath a girdle. He holds a small piece of drapery in his left hand.

A groove to the left of the group seems to show that this slab was at an interior angle of a building. The different dimensions make it unlikely that it was a part of the same frieze as No. 86.--_Xanthos._

Limestone; height, 2 feet 9-1/2 inches; length, 2 feet 7 inches.

Prachov, pl. 1, fig. 2; Murray, I., pl. 6; Wolters, 135; Wolters in _Jahrbuch des Arch. Inst._, I. p. 83.

[Sidenote: =88.=]

Slab from the left end of a frieze. A woman wearing a long chiton with sleeves and a himation stands to right with right hand raised, and holding a flower(?). She holds a piece of drapery in left hand. Before her, the remains of another figure.

At the left of this figure is a groove, suggesting that this was an interior angle stone.--_Xanthos._

Limestone; height, 2 feet 9 inches; length, 3 feet 6 inches.

Prachov, pl. 6 B. _h_; Wolters, _Jahrbuch des Arch. Inst._, I., p.

83.

[Sidenote: =89, 90.=]

Gable end of a tomb. On each side of a doorway is a seated Sphinx, and above the lintel are two lions.--_Xanthos._

[Sidenote: =89.=]

The Sphinx on the left wears a cap enclosing most of the hair, a pendant earring, and a narrow taenia. There are traces of red paint on the cap, and of the markings of feathers on the wings. The head and fore-quarters of the lion are wanting.

Limestone; height, 3 feet 9 inches; width, 3 feet 1 inch. About 3 inches appear to be wanting on the right of the slab. Prachov, pl.

5, fig. 1 (the head only of the Sphinx); Dieulafoy, _L'Art Ant. de la Perse_, II., pl. 18, fig. 2; Brunn, _Denkmaeler_, No. 101A.

[Sidenote: =90.=]

The Sphinx on the right of the doorway has her hair confined by a broad band, and has a pendant earring. The markings of the feathers may be seen on the wings. When first discovered in 1840, this relief was brilliantly coloured, as is recorded in a drawing by Scharf. The ground of the relief was bright blue; the feathers were red, black, blue, and white. The hair was yellow, and the taenia was painted with a white pattern on a red ground. The head and fore-quarters of the lion are wanting.

Limestone; height, 3 feet 4-1/2 inches; width, 3 feet 4 inches.

About 3 inches appear to be wanting on the left of the slab.

Prachov, pl. 5, fig. 2; _Museum of Cla.s.s. Antiq._, I., p. 251; Dieulafoy, _L'Art Ant. de la Perse_, II., pl. 18, fig. 2; Brunn, _Denkmaeler_, No. 101A.

[Sidenote: =91, 92.=]

Gable end of a tomb. On each side of a doorway is a seated Sphinx.

Above the lintel of the door is a s.p.a.ce which may have held a relief, now wanting.--_Xanthos._

[Sidenote: =91.=]

The Sphinx on the left wears a stephane; a tress of hair falls on the shoulder. There are faint traces of paint on the wing. The hind-quarters are missing.

Limestone; height, 2 feet 10 inches; width, 2 feet 2 inches. The joint of the stone is at the left side of the door. Prachov, pl.

4, fig. 2.

[Sidenote: =92.=]

The Sphinx on the right has her hair bound with a narrow taenia. There are traces of paint on the wing. The hind-quarters are wanting.

Limestone; height, 2 feet 8 inches; width, 3 feet 1 inch. About 3 inches are lost from the left of this slab. Prachov, pl. 4, fig. 1 (the head only).

[Sidenote: =93.=]

Gable end of a tomb. In the centre of the relief is a low column, with an Ionic capital, of peculiar form. A Siren stands to the front, on the column. She wears a short chiton, girt at the waist and with loose sleeves. She has spreading wings and tail, and bird's legs, but human arms which are extended in front of the wings. The head is wanting.

On each side of the column is a seated male figure. On the left is a beardless elderly man, wearing himation and chiton, with staff in left hand and right hand extended. On the right is a bearded old man, wearing chiton and himation, with staff in right hand and left hand extended. The back of the head is in part broken away; part was never represented. The lower part of the relief is wanting. A drawing by Scharf shows the colouring of the relief when discovered. The background was blue; the hair, the under side of the Siren's wings, the drapery of the man on the left, the shaft and part of the capital of the column were yellow; the drapery of the Siren and of the man on the right, the seats and part of the capital of the column were red.--_Xanthos._

Limestone; height, 2 feet 9 inches; width, 3 feet 5 inches.

_Annali dell' Inst._, 1844, p. 150.

THE HARPY TOMB.

[Sidenote: =94.=]

The monument known as the Harpy Tomb was discovered by Fellows among the ruins of Xanthos on April 19, 1838. It was more carefully examined and published by him in 1840 (_Lycia_, p. 170, and plate), and was brought to England in the spring of 1842. The tomb was described by Fellows in the following terms:--"The Harpy Tomb consisted of a square shaft in one block, weighing about eighty tons, its height seventeen feet, placed upon a base rising on one side six feet from the ground, on the other but little above the present level of the earth. Around the sides of the top of the shaft were ranged the bas-reliefs in white marble about three feet three inches high; upon these rested a capstone, apparently a series of stones, one projecting over the other; but these are cut in one block, probably fifteen to twenty tons in weight. Within the top of the shaft was hollowed out a chamber, which, with the bas-relief sides was seven feet six inches high, and seven feet square." (Fellows, _Xanthian Marbles_, p. 21; _Asia Minor_, p. 438.) For views of this tomb see the drawing by Scharf here reproduced (pl. iii.); also _Mon. dell' Inst._, iv., pl. 2; Benndorf, _Reisen in Lykien_, i., pl. 26. In Christian times, the tomb was made the cell of some _Stylites_, or dweller on a column. Traces of painting and monograms were found on the interior of the chamber.

(Fellows, _Xanthian Marbles_, p. 21; Birch, _Archaeologia_, x.x.x., p.

186.)

[Sidenote: 1.]

_West Side._--This relief is divided into two unequal parts by a small doorway which formed the entrance to the tomb. This doorway may have been filled up with a slab of stone, resembling a funeral stele, and the idea thus suggested was further carried out by the sculpture above of a cow giving suck to a calf. (Compare the tomb on the second frieze of the Xanthian Nereid Monument, _Mon. dell'

Inst._, x., pl. 16, fig. 161.)

On the left of the entrance is an enthroned female figure. She is large and dignified, and is heavily draped. The left hand is raised, the right hand is extended and holds a bowl; she is adorned with stephane and bracelets. The arm of the chair terminates in a ram's head, and is supported by a seated Sphinx.

On the right is a second enthroned female figure of equal dignity.

She is adorned with a stephane and bracelets. With a graceful, if affected gesture of the right hand she holds up a pomegranate flower, and in the left hand she holds a pomegranate fruit.

The back of the throne terminates in a swan's head, and the arm terminates in the head of a ram.

Three maidens, who are nearly alike, except in the att.i.tudes of the hands, approach this figure. The first raises her mantle and chiton with the left and right hands respectively. The second has a pomegranate flower in her left hand, and a pomegranate fruit in her right hand. The third holds up an egg with her right hand, and holds the drapery in her left hand.

[Sidenote: 2.]

_North Side._--An old man, draped and bearded, is seated on a chair to left; with the left hand he holds a spear, with the right hand he receives a crested helmet which is offered to him by a young warrior, who stands before him. The warrior has a short chiton, and leather cuira.s.s, sheathed sword, greaves, and a large s.h.i.+eld, which he supports with the left hand. Beneath the chair is a small bear.

At each side of this group, but disconnected from it, are figures commonly known as Harpies. They are represented as beings with the head, b.r.e.a.s.t.s and arms of maidens, while the lower part of the body is that of a bird conventionally rendered. It terminates in oval form with a spreading tail and bird's talons attached. Long wings spring from behind the shoulders and under the arms. Each creature wears a stephane and chiton (see below). In their arms and talons each gently carries a diminutive draped female figure, that makes a gesture, as of affection.

At the right corner of the relief a draped figure crouches on the ground in an att.i.tude of deep grief, and looks up to the flying figure above.

[Sidenote: 3.]

_East Side._--A venerable bearded man is seated on a throne, to the right. He has a sceptre in the left hand, and holds up a flower in the right hand. The arm of the throne is supported by a Triton. Before him is a diminutive figure of a boy offering a c.o.c.k.

Behind the enthroned figure are two draped male figures, standing to right. The first holds a pomegranate fruit in the left hand, and a doubtful object in the right hand. The second, who is bearded, holds a portion of his drapery with the left hand; with his right hand he holds his beard.

On the right of the relief is a youth, accompanied by a dog. He holds a stick with curved handle in his left hand, and has an uncertain object in his right hand. Part of it was made of metal, attached by a rivet. It may perhaps have been a kylix with a tall stem.