THE SMILE OF A SPHINX
#sphinx #archaicsculpture #greeksculpture #archaicgreekart
Its Not only Maidens and Youths who have THAT smile in Archaic Greek ART.
This statue is the top part of an Archaic Attic Stele (I'll show you the lower part in the next post) and the slender feline proportions and pose of the lower body suggest the sculptor seems to have seen a cat (then an exotic import) about to bring upwards. Note the distinctive Archaic Smile. The lack of plumage yet detailed carving of the face suggests also the sculptor wanted onlookers looking upwards to notice the smile ? Such elegant refined curves!
The stele was discovered broken into pieces and this is a museum reconstruction.
Next post will include closeups of the youth below.
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