• Frieze of Prinias Temple A



Frieze of Prinias Temple A
Frieze of Prinias Temple A
Frieze of Prinias Temple A

Frieze of Prinias Temple A

Γ232
Stone (Poros stone)
Much restored
Max. Height: 84 cm.Max. Length: 362 cm.
Prinias
Prinias Temple A
Early Archaic period:
650-600 BC:
Gallery:
XXVI
Exhibition thematic unit:
Sculpture. Archaic period (7th-6th c. BC). Classical period (5th-4th c. BC)
Description
This frieze was probably set low on the outside of the temple. It consists of at least five relief plaques repeating the same theme and thereby depicting a procession of horsemen. Horses and riders are rendered on a strikingly different scale, with the latter being disproportionally small. The horsemen are depicted wearing helmets and brandishing their spears in their right hand, while holding a shield and the horse’s reins in the left. The horses are distinctly larger and solidly proportioned with long legs. The composition stresses the importance of horses during this period, something which is also evident in other Cretan works. The social status of the noble cavalry class is also displayed. The frieze reflects the austere Doric spirit of contemporary Cretan cities.
Bibliography:
Pernier L., “Templi arcaici sulla Patèla di Priniàs in Creta. Contributo allo studio dell'arte dedalica”, in Annuario della scuola archeologica di Atene 1 (1914), 18-111. Adams L., Orientalizing Sculpture in Soft Limestone, Oxford, 1978, 65-78, pl. 48b. Rizza G.-Rizzo M. A., “Prinias” in Ancient Crete, A Hundred Years of Italian Archaeology (1884-1984), Rome, 1984, 147-148, fig. 253.
Author:
S. P.


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