Sphinx of Naxos (39 x 29 x 9 cm.)

Description

High quality reproduction made of reconstituted marble (marble dust and chronolite). Aging patinas made with earth and natural waxes.

Measurements: Height: 39 cm. Depth: 29 cm. Width: 9 cm.

Original: Delphi Museum. Greece.

This sculpture is a reproduction of a sphinx from archaic Greek art, dated between 575 and 560 BC.  The original statue is now in the Archaeological Museum of Delphi in Greece. The sculpture reproduced here is a statue originating from the island of Naxos, whose inhabitants donated it to the Oracle of Delphi, thereby gaining the right of first refusal to consult the oracle. Its function was to protect the Temple of Apollo at Delphi, and it originally stood on top of a column to the south of the sanctuary.

The sphinx is a mythological being with a human head, a lion’s body and wings. According to Greek mythology, the sphinx used to propose riddles to passers-by who came across it, killing those who did not get the right answer. In other traditions the sphinx represents the animal nature over which reason (the human head) rises, the conductor of instincts and passions.