Harmodius and Aristogeiton
Title
Harmodius and Aristogeiton
Date
1st-2nd century AD; copy of a Classical work, ca. 510 BC and 477 BC
Artist or Workshop
Unknown, copyist
Antenor, original artist
Kritios and Nesiotes, replacement artists
Antenor, original artist
Kritios and Nesiotes, replacement artists
Materials
Bronze, Greek originals
Marble, Roman copy
Marble, Roman copy
Height of the work
190 cm tall
Provenience
Found in Villa Adriana in Tivoli outside Rome
Current Location
National Archaeological Museum, Naples
Sitter Biography
Known as the Tyrannicides, Harmodius and Aristogeiton were Athenian aristocrats, lovers, and heroes, responsible for the assassination of Hipparchus, brother of the Peisistratid tyrant Hippias. They were caught and killed after murdering Hipparchus, but eventually this event led to the end of tyranny and founding of democracy in Athens, making Harmodius and Aristogeiton heroes to be honored for their achievement. However, their motives for Hipparchus's assassination had less to do with democracy and more to do with a lovers’ quarrel; Hipparchus loved Harmodius who rejected him for Aristogeiton. Harmodius and Aristogeiton thus sought to kill Hipparchus in fear of vengeance.
Description and Significance
Description:
The posthumous portrait statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton depict the two heroes in an action group. The marble statues are physically autonomous, but they are linked in their poses and the event they represent. Both men are depicted nude in this copy of the original, brandishing swords of which only the hilts are left. Their bodies are highly idealized as was common in the practice of depicting heroic figures at this time. Aristogeiton is portrayed as a mature man with a full beard and a cape draped over his left shoulder. His head is rolled to the left and his right leg is bent and firmly planted while his left leg is open backward with the heel off of the ground. Harmodius, the younger of the two Athenians, has his right arm stretched forward and his right leg bent at the knee and firmly planted forward. His hair is made of small stylized spiral curls. His legs and arms have been restored. The back feet of both portrait statues are supported by wedge-like struts and their front legs lean against tree trunk-shaped plinths, signs that these portraits are Roman copies.
Significance:
The portraits of Harmodius and Aristogeiton signify a key characteristic of Classical Athenian portraiture. They portray an emphasis on depicting men who served the polis in a heroic role. This kind of dedication occurred as a form of pride following the Greek’s defeat of the Persians in the Persian Wars (490-480 BC). Harmodius and Aristogeiton were first celebrated posthumously in 510 BC when the original bronze group was produced by Antenor and set up by the polis of Athens in the Athenian Agora. This is significant because it is the first time portraits were not commissioned by the individuals depicted, but by the community, paid for out of public funds as a way of honoring the heroic individuals. The statues are portrayed as idealized athletes to elevate Harmodius and Aristogeiton and further signify their heroism. Elements of both Archaic and Classical Greek portraiture are evident in this portrait group; Harmodius and Aristogeiton are depicted naturalistically and in dynamic poses, but they are not particularly individualized. Of course, the exact original depiction is unknown as Antenor’s group was stolen by the Persians when they occupied Athens in 480 BC during the Persian Wars and removed to Susa. It was eventually returned by Alexander the Great or Seleucus I, but before that a replacement set was produced by Kritios and Nesiotes in 477 BC. This is the set that was extensively copied in Hellenistic and Roman times.
The posthumous portrait statues of Harmodius and Aristogeiton depict the two heroes in an action group. The marble statues are physically autonomous, but they are linked in their poses and the event they represent. Both men are depicted nude in this copy of the original, brandishing swords of which only the hilts are left. Their bodies are highly idealized as was common in the practice of depicting heroic figures at this time. Aristogeiton is portrayed as a mature man with a full beard and a cape draped over his left shoulder. His head is rolled to the left and his right leg is bent and firmly planted while his left leg is open backward with the heel off of the ground. Harmodius, the younger of the two Athenians, has his right arm stretched forward and his right leg bent at the knee and firmly planted forward. His hair is made of small stylized spiral curls. His legs and arms have been restored. The back feet of both portrait statues are supported by wedge-like struts and their front legs lean against tree trunk-shaped plinths, signs that these portraits are Roman copies.
Significance:
The portraits of Harmodius and Aristogeiton signify a key characteristic of Classical Athenian portraiture. They portray an emphasis on depicting men who served the polis in a heroic role. This kind of dedication occurred as a form of pride following the Greek’s defeat of the Persians in the Persian Wars (490-480 BC). Harmodius and Aristogeiton were first celebrated posthumously in 510 BC when the original bronze group was produced by Antenor and set up by the polis of Athens in the Athenian Agora. This is significant because it is the first time portraits were not commissioned by the individuals depicted, but by the community, paid for out of public funds as a way of honoring the heroic individuals. The statues are portrayed as idealized athletes to elevate Harmodius and Aristogeiton and further signify their heroism. Elements of both Archaic and Classical Greek portraiture are evident in this portrait group; Harmodius and Aristogeiton are depicted naturalistically and in dynamic poses, but they are not particularly individualized. Of course, the exact original depiction is unknown as Antenor’s group was stolen by the Persians when they occupied Athens in 480 BC during the Persian Wars and removed to Susa. It was eventually returned by Alexander the Great or Seleucus I, but before that a replacement set was produced by Kritios and Nesiotes in 477 BC. This is the set that was extensively copied in Hellenistic and Roman times.
References
Breckenridge, J. D. 1968, Likeness: A Conceptual History of Ancient Portraiture, Evanston, pp. 81-87.
Dillon, S. 2012. Ancient Greek Portrait Sculpture: Contexts, Subjects, and Styles, Cambridge.
Richter, G. M. 1965. The Portraits of the Greeks, New Haven.
https://www.museoarcheologiconapoli.it/en/sculptures/
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/252468
http://museum.classics.cam.ac.uk/collections/casts/harmodios-and-aristogeiton-tyrant-slayers
Contributor
Lauren Kershenbaum
Citation
Unknown, copyist
Antenor, original artist
Kritios and Nesiotes, replacement artists, “Harmodius and Aristogeiton,” Digital Portrait "Basket" - ARTH488A - "Ancient Mediterranean Portraiture", accessed April 27, 2024, https://classicalchopped2.artinterp.org/omeka/items/show/16.
Item Relations
This item has no relations.