Acrolith

An acrolith is a composite sculpture made of stone and other materials, as in the case of a figure whose clothed parts are made of wood, while the exposed flesh parts such as head, hands, and feet are made of marble. The wood was covered either by drapery or by gilding.[1][2] This type of statuary was common and widespread in Classical antiquity.

The Antinous Mondragone, the head from an acrolithic cult image of the deified Antinous

Greek etymology: acros and lithos, English translation: "height" or "extremity" and "stone".

Similarly, chryselephantine sculpture used ivory instead of marble, and often gold on parts of the body and ornaments. Acroliths are frequently mentioned by Pausanias (2nd century AD), the best known example being the Athene Areia ("Warlike Athena") of the Plataeans.[1]

Examples of acrolithic sculptures

gollark: I did say "non-proud UK-dweller", you know.
gollark: Paraphrased: "Who cares what your MATHS says about it not being possible to have encryption only the government can break, we want this impossible thing done by Tuesday!"
gollark: “Well the laws of Australia prevail in Australia, I can assure you of that. The laws of mathematics are very commendable, but the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia," - former prime minister.
gollark: Mostly because the politicians are just utterly moronic.
gollark: Oh no, the stupid country.

References

  1.  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Acroliths". Encyclopædia Britannica. 1 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 155.
  2. Sturgis, Russell (1901). A Dictionary of Architecture and Building, Volume I. Macmillan. p. 23.

Secondary sources

  • Barrett, Anthony A (2002). Livia,First Lady of Imperial Rome. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-10298-7.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.