Aegina W 2, Right Champion of W. Ped. 2, left leg, view facing pediment
Aegina W 2, Right Champion of W. Ped. 2, left foot from behind pediment
Aegina W 2, Right Champion of W. Ped. 2, back of torso
Aegina W 2, Right Champion of W. Ped. 2, det. of shield grip
Aegina W 2, Right Champion of W. Ped. 2, left foot
Aegina W 2, Right Champion of W. Ped. 2, figure facing right, frontal view...
| Collection: | Munich, Glyptothek |
| Title: | Aegina, W. Ped. 2, fig. W 2: Right Champion Warrior |
| Context: | From Aegina, Sanctuary of Aphaia |
| Findspot: | Excavated at Aegina, Sanctuary of Aphaia |
| Summary: | Champion warrior on right of Athena |
| Material: | Marble |
| Sculpture Type: | Architectural |
| Category: | Statuary group |
| Placement: | West pediment 2 |
| Style: | Late Archaic |
| Technique: | In-the-round |
| Date: | ca. 500 BC - ca. 490 BC |
| Scale: | Life-size |
| Region: | Saronic Gulf |
| Period: | Late Archaic |
| In Group: | Aegina West Pediment 2 |
Subject Description:
The Champion Warrior on the right of Athena faces right to meet his opponent. He steps forward onto his left leg, his right leg extended behind. A block of marble supports the raised heel of the right foot. He stands at an angle to his opponent as he would in actual combat, enabling him to maneuver his shield to protect his left side. Compositionally this presents an open, three-quarter view to the observer. With his left arm he pushes the shield toward his opponent; his right arm was raised over his shoulder ready to strike with his weapon. Since the figure on the left of Athena is identified as Ajax by his shield device, the Right Champion is presumed to be Trojan.
Form & Style:
The nude figure exhibits a high degree of naturalism reached only by the very end of the archaic period. Some interest in surface pattern visible in the rendering of the torso — particularly in the outline of the abdominal cage — is a latent element of earlier times found on this and several other figures of the West Pediment, but not the East. Similarly the feet are set more closely together than those of the comparable figure in the East Pediment. This is partly explained by the greater number of figures in the West, hence the smaller amount of space, but the result is unquestionably a quieter, less forceful pose.
Condition: Fragmentary
Condition Description:
Preserved: most of the figure excluding head, fragment of right lower leg and part of right arm. Fragment of right arm is extant and exhibited separately (Munich). Most of the shield is reconstructed.
Material Description:
Parian Marble
Associated Building: Aegina, Temple of Aphaia