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| Sicily at the British Museum: epic blockbusters of the ancient world | Sicily at the British Museum: epic blockbusters of the ancient world |
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| Confirmation that a severed head is a good match with an unidentified torso, and that a bent leg found on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire actually belongs to a different body, sounds like the plot of a thriller, but this is the work of restorers preparing a star exhibit for a British Museum show on Sicily. | Confirmation that a severed head is a good match with an unidentified torso, and that a bent leg found on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire actually belongs to a different body, sounds like the plot of a thriller, but this is the work of restorers preparing a star exhibit for a British Museum show on Sicily. |
| One of the leading attractions of Sicily: Culture and Conquest, the first major British exhibition to examine the early history of the island, will be the reunited marble head and limbless body of a Greek warrior. It is now thought that the impressive statue of a stumbling soldier, a rare piece dating from 470BC, was designed to inspire and entertain people, much as a Hollywood epic might do today. Part of a 3D narrative tableau, it once told the story of a recent conflict, like frozen footage from an action blockbuster. | One of the leading attractions of Sicily: Culture and Conquest, the first major British exhibition to examine the early history of the island, will be the reunited marble head and limbless body of a Greek warrior. It is now thought that the impressive statue of a stumbling soldier, a rare piece dating from 470BC, was designed to inspire and entertain people, much as a Hollywood epic might do today. Part of a 3D narrative tableau, it once told the story of a recent conflict, like frozen footage from an action blockbuster. |
| “The ancient Greeks were subtle in their storytelling,” said British Museum curator Peter Higgs. “While the Egyptians and Babylonians tended to depict themselves trampling their enemy underfoot, the Greeks showed themselves fighting. It was very much propaganda, like a cartoon or an epic film. They also had guides at these key sites, who would take people around and explain the relevance of the statues.” | “The ancient Greeks were subtle in their storytelling,” said British Museum curator Peter Higgs. “While the Egyptians and Babylonians tended to depict themselves trampling their enemy underfoot, the Greeks showed themselves fighting. It was very much propaganda, like a cartoon or an epic film. They also had guides at these key sites, who would take people around and explain the relevance of the statues.” |
| Recent restoration work carried out in Sicily has exposed delicate work on the statue’s neck and head, which proves that both pieces were part of the same commanding public artwork at Akragas, now known as Agrigento, on the southern coast of the island. | Recent restoration work carried out in Sicily has exposed delicate work on the statue’s neck and head, which proves that both pieces were part of the same commanding public artwork at Akragas, now known as Agrigento, on the southern coast of the island. |
| Related: Ancient Greek manuscripts reveal life lessons from the Roman empire | Related: Ancient Greek manuscripts reveal life lessons from the Roman empire |
| “This warrior is a star who features in every textbook on the subject,” said Higgs as the statue was installed in the museum this weekend. “It has been a talking point among curators and academics and we have now realised that, although the head does not fit neatly on to the neck, the muscles and veins do line up. Something pretty terrible is happening to him in battle and this quite modest restoration has brought it all back to life. It is as if the veins are pulsing again. Properly lit and mounted in the museum, it will almost appear to move.” | “This warrior is a star who features in every textbook on the subject,” said Higgs as the statue was installed in the museum this weekend. “It has been a talking point among curators and academics and we have now realised that, although the head does not fit neatly on to the neck, the muscles and veins do line up. Something pretty terrible is happening to him in battle and this quite modest restoration has brought it all back to life. It is as if the veins are pulsing again. Properly lit and mounted in the museum, it will almost appear to move.” |
| The marble head was the first to be found, at the bottom of a well in Agrigento. The torso was discovered in the 1940s, and a third piece, a thigh, was located in 1968. “It is very rare to have a marble statue from Sicily at all, as there is no marble there naturally,” said Higgs. “So the stone must have been imported, or the complete statue shipped in. It would have been very expensive to commission. As a result, this torso has always been studied a lot.” | The marble head was the first to be found, at the bottom of a well in Agrigento. The torso was discovered in the 1940s, and a third piece, a thigh, was located in 1968. “It is very rare to have a marble statue from Sicily at all, as there is no marble there naturally,” said Higgs. “So the stone must have been imported, or the complete statue shipped in. It would have been very expensive to commission. As a result, this torso has always been studied a lot.” |
| At a conference this spring, Higgs will unveil his theory about another marble piece from Sicily, the bent leg of a warrior brought back to Chatsworth House by the Duke of Devonshire after an 18th-century “grand tour” of Europe. The curator suspects this leg, although not part of the statue, may well have formed part of the same tableau. | At a conference this spring, Higgs will unveil his theory about another marble piece from Sicily, the bent leg of a warrior brought back to Chatsworth House by the Duke of Devonshire after an 18th-century “grand tour” of Europe. The curator suspects this leg, although not part of the statue, may well have formed part of the same tableau. |
| Related: British Museum's new director brings lessons of German history | Related: British Museum's new director brings lessons of German history |
| “Other marble hands holding weapons have been found on the site,” he said, “and it looks as if they were part of the same work. Generic battle scenes were common at this period, showing Greeks fighting Greeks or in battle with uncivilised barbarians, such as Carthaginians or Amazons. It is how they reminded the people about their mytho-history.” | “Other marble hands holding weapons have been found on the site,” he said, “and it looks as if they were part of the same work. Generic battle scenes were common at this period, showing Greeks fighting Greeks or in battle with uncivilised barbarians, such as Carthaginians or Amazons. It is how they reminded the people about their mytho-history.” |
| The delicate restoration of the torso, loaned from the Museo Archeologico Regionale Pietro Griffo in Agrigento, has also revealed floral decorations on the helmet that would have been colourfully painted and a rougher area that might once have been bronze. The stumbling warrior, like the others engaged in the battle, would have been depicted with sun-tanned skin and might have been free standing or added to the structure of the Temple of Heracles at a later date. | The delicate restoration of the torso, loaned from the Museo Archeologico Regionale Pietro Griffo in Agrigento, has also revealed floral decorations on the helmet that would have been colourfully painted and a rougher area that might once have been bronze. The stumbling warrior, like the others engaged in the battle, would have been depicted with sun-tanned skin and might have been free standing or added to the structure of the Temple of Heracles at a later date. |
| While the British Museum has a collection of smaller Greek items from Sicily, including terracotta pottery and jewellery, it has few major sculptures. The torso was initially thought to have been part of the gabled roof of the temple, close to where it was discovered. | While the British Museum has a collection of smaller Greek items from Sicily, including terracotta pottery and jewellery, it has few major sculptures. The torso was initially thought to have been part of the gabled roof of the temple, close to where it was discovered. |
| “These people lived with constant warfare around them,” said Higgs. “So this was an exciting visual entertainment they could all understand.” | “These people lived with constant warfare around them,” said Higgs. “So this was an exciting visual entertainment they could all understand.” |
| • Sicily: culture and conquest, 21 April to 14 August. Box office: 020-7323 8181. |