The Parthenon Frieze

The Parthenon Frieze originally encircled the inner chamber of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. It was removed from the Parthenon over a period of more than ten years starting in 1801, and large portions were relocated to museums. Augustus Saint-Gaudens likely saw parts of the original marble sculptures during visits to the British Museum in London and in published descriptions. He bought plaster casts from the Caproni Brothers in Boston and chose favorite sections to display the beauty of Greek drapery and the grace and power of the cavalry procession. Aware of contemporary research into the coloration of Greek sculpture, he asked his assistants to paint the figures in what he believed were authentic colors, using the Frieze both as decoration and as inspiration for the work undertaken inside the Little Studio.

Windsor, Vermont · United States