DAMOPHON AND HIS WORKS

Hall B of the Museum primarily displays sculptures by the Messinian sculptor Damophon, which were found at the Asclepieion and in other buildings. Damophon, son of Philip, is the best-known sculptor of the mature Hellenistic period. He was a prominent figure with financial power and political influence. His fame extended beyond the borders not only of Messenia but also of the Peloponnese. His heyday appears to be dated with relative precision to between 210 and 180 B.C. He devoted himself to the creation of statues depicting exclusively gods and heroes, rather than ordinary mortals. His idealistic conception of the art of sculpture was entirely at odds with the realistic demands of figurative portraiture. He worked primarily in marble, but also in wood and bronze. In his marble works, which were usually colossal in size, he employed the technique of acrolith, but more commonly that of segmental construction. Thanks to the traveler Pausanias, who held Damophon’s art in particularly high regard, we know of at least fifteen of his works, five of which feature multiple figures and were once installed in city sanctuaries throughout the Peloponnese.

Head of the Theban Hercules

A head of supernatural size, heavily weathered. In addition to the head, fragments of the left foot have survived. It was found at the Asclepieion of Messene. Early 2nd century B.C. A typical example of the art of the Messinian sculptor Damophon, who combines classicism with the contemporary trends of Hellenistic Baroque, that is, progressivism with conservatism.

Head of Apollo

A work by Damophon. The facial expression was accentuated by the inlaid eyes, which are now missing. The hair is flat-relief, and the lips are fleshy and expressive.

Statues of Girls and Priestesses

Found in the Artemision of the Asclepieion. They depict young girls and priestesses. The two young girls are dressed identically in long, high-waisted tunics. Parents dedicated statues of their daughters to the temple; these girls took part in initiation rites, as was the case at other sanctuaries of Artemis. One of the figures of a young girl wears bracelets on the wrist of her left hand, with which she holds a statue of Artemis.

Relief of the Dioscuri (3rd century B.C.)

Confirming the worship of the Dioscuri in Messene is this incomplete and damaged votive relief depicting the Dioscuri in a well-known style. The twins are depicted naked, holding spears in their left hands, while with their right hands they hold the reins of horses, heraldically positioned to the right and left of a navel or celestial symbol. The worship of the Dioscuri in Messene is now also attested by inscriptions.

Stone Hermes

A limestone Hermaic stele, incomplete at the bottom, with massive, integral pseudo-brachia. It was found lying in front of the fourth column of the western portico of the Gymnasium. It depicts Heracles wearing a lion’s skin on his head. The lion’s front legs are tied in a knot (“Heraclean knot”) in front of his chest. Below the knot and above the column’s elaborately carved genitalia is the inscription (3rd century B.C.):
“Phyllias
of Neon
dedicated this Heracles [blank]
.”