Archaic Delphi XV, Apollo

Male chryselephantine head, probably, representing Apollo.

The remains of the chryselephantine statues representing Apollo and Artemis constitute an outstanding example of a rare sculptural technique that combined sculpted ivory and hammered gold, affixed to a wooden core. As we know from ancient literary sources, sculptors used this technique in the 6th and 5th century for cult statues, as Phidias did when he created the statue of Athena for the Parthenon and that of Zeus for Olympia. Gold leaf or gilt sheets with hammered decoration that rendered the hair, dress, jewellery and other details were fitted onto the wooden core of the statue, while the bare parts of the body, such as the face, hands and feet, were of ivory. The eyes and the eyelashes were inlaid. Two gold bands with wavy decoration render the long chest-length tresses.

According to one possible explanation, the chryselephantine statues were three and they constituted a group representing the Apollonian triad, Apollo with his sister Artemis and their mother Leto

 

Chryselephantine sculpture

Archaic period

Ionian workshop

6th century BC

Delphi, Archaeological Museum

 

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