The sculptures of the Parthenon

The Parthenon, creation of the highpoint of the Athenian Democracy, project of the most famous statesman of antiquity, Pericles, expresses the spirit of the «Golden Age» of Hellenic history. It is a model of architecture, art and ideology for all the civilized world. The monument is distinguished by its proportions, its outstanding innovations and its incomparable technique, as well as by its sculpted decoration of unsurpassable art, which was harmoniously and almost inextricably integrated with the edifice and covered every possible surface of its upper structure. (. . .) In the present publication, we have tried to illustrate for the first time in one volume the surviving sculpted decoration of the Parthenon, almost in its entirety, presenting the pieces in the Acropolis Museum, the British Museum and the Musee du Louvre. We believe that this will be a useful tool to facilitate further research on this masterpiece of sculptural art. (. . .)