Editing Charioteer of Delphi

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[[Image:AurigaDelfi.jpg|thumb|250px|The ''Charioteer of Delphi'', Delphi Museum]]
[[File:Vognstyreren-fra Delfi2.jpg|thumb|250px|''Charioteer of Delphi'', head]]

The '''''Charioteer of Delphi''''', also known as ''Heniokhos'' ({{langx|el|Ἡνίοχος}}, the [[rein]]-holder), is a [[statue]] surviving from [[Ancient Greece]] and an example of ancient [[bronze sculpture]]. The life-size (1.8m)<ref name=Janson>[[H. W. Janson|Janson, H.W.]] (1995) ''History of Art''. 5th edn. Revised and expanded by Anthony F. Janson. London: [[Thames & Hudson]], p. 142. {{ISBN|0500237018}}</ref> statue of a [[chariot racing|chariot]] driver was found in 1896 at the Sanctuary of [[Apollo]] in [[Delphi]].<ref name=HF/> It is now in the [[Delphi Archaeological Museum]].

==Background==
{{further|Sculpture|Bronze sculpture}}

The statue was erected at Delphi, Greece <ref name="HF">[[Hugh Honour|Honour, H.]] and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Laurence King Publishing, pp. 132-135. {{ISBN|9781856695848}}; Dafas, K. A., 2019. ''Greek Large-Scale Bronze Statuary: The Late Archaic and Classical Periods'', Institute of Classical Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, Monograph, BICS Supplement 138 (London), pp. 24-35, pls 16-30.</ref> to commemorate one of two victories of the tyrant [[Polyzalus]] of Gela in Sicily and his [[chariot racing|chariot]] in the [[Pythian Games]] of either 478 or 474 BC, which were held at Delphi in honor of Pythean Apollo. It has also been suggested that the complex was instead built to commemorate the victory of Polyzalos' brother, Hieron, at the same games, in analogy to his [[ex voto]] after his victory at the [[ancient Olympic Games|Olympic Games]]. 

It was originally part of a larger group of statuary, including the chariot, at least four horses and possibly two grooms. Some fragments of the horses were found with the statue. The masterpiece has been associated with the sculptor [[Pythagoras (sculptor)|Pythagoras of Rhegion]], who lived and worked in Sicily, [[Magna Graecia]], as well as with the sculptor [[Calamis (5th century BC)|Calamis]]. The [[Sicily|Sicilian]] cities were very wealthy compared with most of mainland Greece, and their rulers could afford magnificent offerings to the gods, as well as the best horses and drivers. However, it is unlikely that the statue originates from Sicily. Though the name of the sculptor is unknown, it stylistically resembles statues cast in [[Athens]], such as the [[Piraeus Apollo]], which is known to be of Athenian origin.

An inscription on the limestone base of the statue indicates that it was dedicated by Polyzalus,<ref name=HF/> the [[tyrant]] of [[Gela]], a Greek colony in [[Sicily]], as a tribute to Apollo for helping him to win the [[chariot racing|chariot race]]. The inscription, which is written in [[Dactylic hexameter|hexameter]], reads: [...Π]ολύζαλος μ'ἀνέθηκ[ε... τ]ὸν ἄεξ εὐόνυμ'Ἀπόλλ[ον], which is reconstructed to read "Polyzalus dedicated me. ... Make him prosper, honoured Apollo."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Arena|first=Renato|title=Iscrizioni Greche Arcaiche di Sicilia e Magna Grecia|publisher=Edizioni dell'Orso|year=1998|location=Alessandria|pages=124–5|language=italian}}</ref>

==Design and completeness==
{{external media | width = 210px | float = right | headerimage = [[File:Sculpture Eyelashes.jpg|210px]] | video1 = [http://smarthistory.khanacademy.org/charioteer-of-delphi.html Charioteer of Delphi], (3:38), [[Smarthistory]]
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Most bronze statues from ancient times have long been destroyed, either having been melted down for their raw materials or were naturally corroded. Some freestanding bronze statues, however, including the charioteer, have been rediscovered in the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=October 11, 2015 |title=Western Sculpture |journal=Britannica Academic}}</ref> The Charioteer survived due to being buried under a rock-fall at Delphi, which likely destroyed the site in 373 B.C.<ref name=HF/>  On discovery the figure exhibited a blue appearance which correlates with [[Plutarch]]'s description of the Spartan Monument from Delphi having an, "unusual blue and glossy patina, due to peculiarities of the air inside the sanctuary."  After a century of indoor exposure, the Charioteer has turned a shade of green, although the lower torso still preserves a blue coloration.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Plutarch's Report on the Blue Patina of Bronze Statues at Delphi: A Scientific Explanation|last = Mircea, Magda|first = Frank, Walter A.|date = Summer 2005|journal = Journal of the American Institute for Conservation}}</ref> The statue remains mostly intact excluding its left forearm and certain details on the head, including the copper inlays on the lips, most of the silver eyelashes, and the headband.<ref name=HF/> The statue is one of the few Greek bronze statues to be preserved with inlaid glass eyes. Greek bronzes were [[molding (process)|cast]] in sections and then assembled. When discovered, the statue was in three pieces—head and upper torso, lower torso, and right arm.

The figure is of a young man, as is demonstrated by his soft side-curls. Like modern jockeys, [[Chariot racing|chariot racers]] were chosen for their lightness; however, they also needed to be tall, meaning they were frequently teenagers. It appears to represent a youth from a noble family of his time; aristocratic chariot racers selected their drivers from noble families for the [[Panhellenic Games]]. The Charioteer wears a customary long tunic (the {{interlanguage link|xystis|nl}}) reaching down to his ankles. A wide belt tightens the tunic high above the waist, while two other bands pass as suspenders over the shoulders, under the arms, and criss-cross on the back. This is the ''analavos,'' which keeps the garment from billowing in the wind during the race. The deep vertical pleats in the lower part of the tunic emphasize the Charioteer’s solid posture, resembling also the fluting of an [[Ionic column]]. On the upper part of the body, however, the pleats are wavy, diagonal or curved. This contrast in the garment's representation is also followed by the body’s contrapuntal posture, so that the statue does not show any rigidity, but looks perfectly mobile and lifelike. The entire statue appears as if it is animated, through a gradual shift to the right, starting from the solid stance of the feet, and progressing sequentially through the body, passing the hips, chest, and head, to end up at its gaze. The hands are spread out holding the reins, with long and thin fingers tightened around – together with the reins – a cylindrical object, the riding crop.<ref name="latsis" /> 

The Charioteer does not appear to be portrayed during the race, as his movement lacks intensity. Instead, it seems to be at its end, when he makes his victory lap around the hippodrome. The face and the body portray a great self-confidence and assuredness.<ref name="latsis">[http://www.latsis-foundation.org/megazine/publish/ebook.php?book=1  Ροζίνα Κολώνια, Το Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο Δελφών, Κοινωφελές Ίδρυμα Ιωάννη Σ. Λάτση, Ολκός, 2006, σελ. 256 -257.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150408093243/http://www.latsis-foundation.org/megazine/publish/ebook.php?book=1 |date=2015-04-08 }}</ref>

Unusually for this era, the Charioteer is clothed head to foot. Most athletes at this time would have competed, and been depicted, nude. This indicates that the young man would thus have been of a lower status than his master, Polyzalos. It has been speculated he may have been a household slave whom it was not appropriate to depict in the nude.<ref name=HF/>

==Style==
Stylistically, the ''Charioteer'' is classed as "Early Classical" or "Severe"<ref> Βαγγέλη Πεντάζου - Μαρίας Σαρλά, ''Δελφοί'', Β. Γιαννίκος - Β. Καλδής Ο.Ε., 1984, p. 144.</ref> (see [[Greek art]]). The statue is more naturalistic than the [[kouros|kouroi]] of the Archaic period, but the pose is rigid when compared with later works of the Classical period. A departure from the Archaic style is the slight inclination of his head to the right. The naturalistic rendering of his feet was greatly admired in ancient times.{{citation needed|date=May 2013}} The introverted expression ignores the 'Archaic smile'.

==In popular culture==
In approximately 1907, some ten years after the discovery of the ''Charioteer'', [[Mariano Fortuny (designer)|Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo]], a Spanish artist-designer based in Venice, created a finely pleated silk dress he named the [[Delphos gown]], named after the statue, whose robes it closely resembled.<ref name=infra>{{cite book|last=Martin|first=Richard|title=Infra-apparel|year=1993|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York|isbn=9780870996764|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2-Vwu3GmwtAC&pg=PA18|author2=Selkirk, [[Harold Koda]]|author3=photographs by Neil }}</ref><ref name=berg>{{cite book|last=Cumming|first=Valerie|title=The dictionary of fashion history|year=2010 |publisher=Berg |location=Oxford |isbn=9781847887382 |pages=64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=glBf_El4Qd4C&dq=delphos+1907&pg=PA64|author2=Cunnington, C.W. |author3=Cunnington, P.E. }}</ref> These gowns are considered important pieces of early 20th century fashion. In 2003, A Delphos gown was the only fashion garment in the collection of the [[MoMA|Museum of Modern Art]], New York.<ref>{{cite book|last=Antonelli|first=Paola|title=Objects of design from the Museum of Modern Art|year=2003|publisher=Museum of Modern Art|location=New York|isbn=0870706969|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=crvJIpp511kC&pg=PA20}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="160px" heights="160px">
File:Auriga de Delfos (474 aC), Museo Arqueològic de Delfos. Detall del cap.jpg
File:Aurige. Musée Delphes. Grèce.png
File:Charioteer of Delphi - detail of head.jpg|Detail of the statue's head, showing the inlaid eyes
File:Cherioteer Fragments.jpg|Fragments and drawing of Charioteer
File:Charioteer of Delphi-2.jpg|Detail of the statue's head and arm
File:Aurige_back.jpg|Back view of the Charioteer.
File:Delphi - Museum.jpg|Position in the museum
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Charioteer of Delphi}}
* [http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/chiarioteer.html Charioteer of Delphi.] Ancient Greece.
* [https://www.usask.ca/antiquities/our-collection-/greek/transitional-greek/sculpture/charioteer-of-delphi/index.php Charioteer of Delphi.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006044152/http://www.usask.ca/antiquities/our-collection-/greek/transitional-greek/sculpture/charioteer-of-delphi/index.php |date=2016-10-06 }} University of Saskatchewan.
* {{Cite AV media| title = Delphi: The Bellybutton of the Ancient World | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00w4jtx| access-date = 23 Nov 2010| people = Michael Scott| publisher = BBC 4| minutes = 21:42}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1896 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:5th-century BC Greek sculptures]]
[[Category:Ancient chariot racing]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek athletic art]]
[[Category:Ancient Greek bronze statues of the classical period]]
[[Category:Archaeological discoveries in Central Greece]]
[[Category:Bronze sculptures in Greece]]
[[Category:Carriage drivers]]
[[Category:Collection of the Delphi Archaeological Museum]]
[[Category:Sculptures in Delphi]]
[[Category:Sculptures of men in Greece]]
[[Category:Statues in Greece]]