© Katherine A. Schwab
Poseidon crushing a Giant with Nisyros
East Metope 6, Parthenon
(Acropolis Museum, Acr. 20005)
2009
Print: 12 ½ × 12 inches
A violent scene unfolds as the sea god Poseidon crushes a Giant with the island of Nisyros during the battle of Olympian Gods fighting the Earthborn Giants for supremacy of Mount Olympus. This episode from the battle highlights the volcanic island of Nisyros in the eastern Aegean Sea and it is the only known example of an island in the entire Parthenon sculptural program. The Parthenon metopes date to 447-442 B.C.E. The original graphite drawing formed part of an exhibition, An Archaeologist’s Eye: The Parthenon Drawings of Katherine A. Schwab, which toured the U.S.A., from 2014 to 2018.