The incredible eyes of Hiniochus magnetize.
With its unique look, the prominent statue has its own exclusive room in the Delphi Museum. A passing glance is not enough to see it. You have to stand, scrutinizing it from all sides, admiring the multitude of details on its body and its elaborate bronze tunic. (Images & Videos)
Heniochus’ eyes seem alive. Perhaps, no other statue gives this unique feeling.
Breathtaking motion still
“Heniochus’ eyes are fascinating, ” say some of the unique bronze statue scholars.
The prominent statue, with its unique look, has its own, exclusive, room in the Delphi Museum.
A passing glance is not enough to see it.
You have to stand, scrutinizing it from all sides, admiring the multitude of details on its body and its elaborate bronze tunic.
Heniochus’ eyes seem alive.
Perhaps, no other statue gives this unique feeling.
They say that the moment immediately after the victory and the satisfaction of the winner has been captured on his face, without the tension, but also the self-concentration required by the match, with the triple having not yet faded from the facial expression.
It is one of the most important sculptures of ancient Greek art of the early classical era. Its creation is chronologically placed immediately after the Persian wars, while Pythagoras from Rhegium or, according to others, Calamis or Critias has been proposed as its creator.
The statue is 1.80m tall. And it is part of a set of sculptures dedicated to Apollo by Polyzalus, the tyrant of Gela in Sicily, whose victories have been eulogized by Pindar.
White enamel was used for the eyeballs so that a perfect rendering closely approximates a natural human eye.
A brown semi-precious stone was used for their iris, while the pupils are black. The eyelashes were rendered with small copper wires, while thin sheets of reddish copper enlivened his fleshy lips.
His hair looks still damp with sweat at the end of the overdrive for the win.
They are attached to the head in small studs and held by an inlaid silver band that encircles the head. This meandering headband is said to be the official emblem of the victorious Kaveri.
This bronze ensemble remained in its place for about a century and a half. It was precipitated in 373 BC by a great earthquake, which shook the Sanctuary of Delphi and left many of its buildings, even the temple of Apollo itself, in ruins.
The traveler Pausanias visits Delphi in the second half of the 2nd AD. Century, while he describes the Sanctuary of Apollo and the statues found there, he does not mention Heinrich’s.
As it seems, in his descriptions, many of the sanctuaries of Delphi had already collapsed into ruins.
The archaeologist Manolis Andronikos in one of his texts uses the expression ” awakened look “to describe in this way the “alive” look of the exquisite statue.
The late archaeologist is not the only one to refer to the eyes and gaze of this impressive bronze man of antiquity, and it is not only his eyes that impress but also his hands, which firmly hold the reins of the quadruped.
Equally impressive is the performance of Heniochus’ feet, which are firmly planted on the podium, with their veins giving the impression that blood is pulsating within them. In the inner part of the arm, the veins “pulsate”.
