Phidias
Phidias was the leading sculptor of Classical Greece, renowned for directing the Parthenon’s sculptural program and creating colossal chryselephantine cult images of Athena and Zeus. His work set the ideal of harmonious proportion and noble calm that shaped Western art for millennia. In the Vatican context, a Parthenon marble fragment attributed to his circle conveys the clarity and power of his workshop’s style.
Artworks by Phidias
in the Vatican Museums
#74
Marble Fragment from the Parthenon
A small slice of the Parthenon’s great sculpture: crisp folds, firm contours, and calm rhythm from the Periklean age. Even as a fragment, it carries the balance and clarity that made Phidian classicism the touchstone for Western relief.
Direct link to the Parthenon’s Phidian classicism of the 5th century BCE.
