A
sphyrelaton ( for "hammer-elongated", plural:
sphyrelata, σφυρήλατα) were a type of large
Archaic Greece bronze votive statues.
Features
The
sphyrelata were obtained by hammering a thin sheet of bronze around a core of wood previously carved up to take the desired shape. The technique seems to be of Oriental origin, probably imported from north-Syrian workers arrived in Greece around the seventh century BC. In ancient Greece the
sphyrelaton type (along with many other inventions, such as the
xoanon) were attributed to the mythical figure of
Daedalus, and it is indeed significant that the most important testimonies of similar votive objects come from excavations on the island of
Crete .
Archaeological evidence
Archaeological evidence relating to
sphyrelata is scarce. This kind of votive statues, in fact, was produced with materials that are highly perishable and delicate. The technique of realization of
sphyrelata was not particularly long-lasting, as it was completely replaced by
hollow casting (early sixth century BC), which was used to achieve superior standards of quality with less effort. The most substantial evidence, however, comes from Crete, where, e.g. in the Temple of Apollo Delphinios at
Dreros three votive statuettes have been found in an excellent state of preservation, "in the first orientalizing style of the late eighth century"
[John Boardman, Greek Sculpture: Function, Materials, and Techniques in the Archaic and Classical Periods, edited by Olga Palagia, Cambridge University Press, 2006 ( estratto on line dal capitolo I).] (the so-called Triad of Dreros, now in the Archaeological Museum of Heraklion). Two of the three
sphyrelata are supposed to represent
Artemis and
Leto, as they are equipped with a
polos, a long decorated garment and a mantle. The two are in static positions, while the third, which is hypothesized to depict Apollo, is in motion, and the position of the arm of god (leaning forward) suggests that it held a bow.
Bibliography
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John Griffiths Pedley, Greek Art and Archeology- Roma: Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, Libreria dello Stato, 2005 (400 p.: ill.;
Notes
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