To celebrate Lord Byron’s belated 223rd birthday, check out one of my favorite Neoclassical sculptures in #Athens: #Greece crowning #Byron by Chapu, Falguière, & Sochos (1896)!

Now a highlight of the National Gardens, it was not originally beloved. Learn why in this #THREAD!
2/12 A competition was announced for a major monument to the famed British Romantic poet & Philhellene in 1888, funded by Demetrius Stefanovich Schilizzi, a cosmopolitan Greek banker & philanthropist with roots in Chios who happened to be the president of the “Byron Association!”
3/12 The job was originally awarded to Henri Chapu, but the monument we know today is the work of not 1 but 3 renowned Neoclassical sculptors!

After planning the piece, Chapu died in 1891 & the excellent Alexandre Falguière was brought in to finish the job!
3/12 The job was originally awarded to Henri Chapu, but the monument we know today is the work of not 1 but 3 renowned Neoclassical sculptors!After planning the piece, Chapu died in 1891 & the excellent Alexandre Falguière was brought in to finish the job!
3/12 The job was originally awarded to Henri Chapu, but the monument we know today is the work of not 1 but 3 renowned Neoclassical sculptors!After planning the piece, Chapu died in 1891 & the excellent Alexandre Falguière was brought in to finish the job!
4/ Falguière could not complete the monument, so a young sculptor from Tinos, Lazaros Sochos finally completed the monument in time for the 1896 #Olympic Games!

Sochos would go on to produce iconic sculpture throughout Athens, like this bronze equestrian statue of Kolokotronis!
4/ Falguière could not complete the monument, so a young sculptor from Tinos, Lazaros Sochos finally completed the monument in time for the 1896 #Olympic Games! Sochos would go on to produce iconic sculpture throughout Athens, like this bronze equestrian statue of Kolokotronis!
4/ Falguière could not complete the monument, so a young sculptor from Tinos, Lazaros Sochos finally completed the monument in time for the 1896 #Olympic Games! Sochos would go on to produce iconic sculpture throughout Athens, like this bronze equestrian statue of Kolokotronis!
5/12 Here is a photo of the sculpture in 1896, shortly after it was unveiled! But what does a monument dedicated to one of Greece’s most beloved adopted sons entail, and why was it so controversial?

Let’s take a look!
6/12 Located just across Vas. Olgas from the Olympyieion, Chapu et al.’s monument was not only following the Neoclassical tastes of 19th c Athens, its shape, iconography, and material draws directly from monuments in the immediate vicinity!
6/12 Located just across Vas. Olgas from the Olympyieion, Chapu et al.’s monument was not only following the Neoclassical tastes of 19th c Athens, its shape, iconography, and material draws directly from monuments in the immediate vicinity!
6/12 Located just across Vas. Olgas from the Olympyieion, Chapu et al.’s monument was not only following the Neoclassical tastes of 19th c Athens, its shape, iconography, and material draws directly from monuments in the immediate vicinity!
7/12 The base takes its inspiration from circular Roman altars like this one from the Theater of Dionysus, on the north slope of the Acropolis. With flowing garlands and intricate moulding, the only thing that’s missing is this great theater mask!
7/12 The base takes its inspiration from circular Roman altars like this one from the Theater of Dionysus, on the north slope of the Acropolis. With flowing garlands and intricate moulding, the only thing that’s missing is this great theater mask!
7/12 The base takes its inspiration from circular Roman altars like this one from the Theater of Dionysus, on the north slope of the Acropolis. With flowing garlands and intricate moulding, the only thing that’s missing is this great theater mask!
8/12 One of the most striking features of this monument is its contrasting marbles: yellow-white for the sculpture from Mt. Pentelikon atop a base of grey marble from Hymettus!

The same technique is seen with the alternating plaques & columns on the nearby Lysikrates monument!
8/12 One of the most striking features of this monument is its contrasting marbles: yellow-white for the sculpture from Mt. Pentelikon atop a base of grey marble from Hymettus!The same technique is seen with the alternating plaques & columns on the nearby Lysikrates monument!
8/12 One of the most striking features of this monument is its contrasting marbles: yellow-white for the sculpture from Mt. Pentelikon atop a base of grey marble from Hymettus!The same technique is seen with the alternating plaques & columns on the nearby Lysikrates monument!
9/ The sculpture itself is purely Neoclassical: Greece is depicted as a partly nude mother figure, crowning a youthful Byron with a palm leaf. A small figure crouches behind the main scene, meant to portray oppressed Greeks under Ottoman oppression.

Don’t miss the dolphin strut!
9/ The sculpture itself is purely Neoclassical: Greece is depicted as a partly nude mother figure, crowning a youthful Byron with a palm leaf. A small figure crouches behind the main scene, meant to portray oppressed Greeks under Ottoman oppression.Don’t miss the dolphin strut!
9/ The sculpture itself is purely Neoclassical: Greece is depicted as a partly nude mother figure, crowning a youthful Byron with a palm leaf. A small figure crouches behind the main scene, meant to portray oppressed Greeks under Ottoman oppression.Don’t miss the dolphin strut!
9/ The sculpture itself is purely Neoclassical: Greece is depicted as a partly nude mother figure, crowning a youthful Byron with a palm leaf. A small figure crouches behind the main scene, meant to portray oppressed Greeks under Ottoman oppression.Don’t miss the dolphin strut!
10/ In classic fashion, the monument features three inscriptions that make clear a) what we’re looking at; b) who made it; & c)most importantly, who paid for it!

The names of the two French sculptors feature most prominently but I haven’t been able to find any mention of Sochos!
11/ This is important when we consider the initial reception of the sculpture, which was by no means positive!

Renowned Greek sculptor Dimitrios Philippotis wrote that the work had no nationality, he was ashamed that Greece was represented by foreign sculptors as a common woman!
12/12 Regardless of early critique, the sculpture was thankfully here to stay!

Now a landmark of one of the busiest parts of #Athens, it marks the end of the new Vas. Olgas pedestrian street, admired by dog walkers, stroller pushers, & me, each time I go out for a jog!
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