Sphyrelaton

A Sphyrelaton ( Greek for “hammer-driven”) is a statue made of cold-hammered metal plates nailed onto a wooden core. The metal can be bronze or gold . This technique was common in ancient Egypt (copper sheet statues of Pharaoh Pepi and Prince Merenre in the 6th Dynasty ) and in Greece and was later replaced by the lost form technique .

In Dreros near Lasithi three bronze Sphyrelata "in the early orientalizing style of the late 8th century" (Boardman) were found in the precincts of the temple of Apollon Delphinios; they are now in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum . These early sculptures probably show Apollon and Artemis and their mother Leto (the "Dreros triad").

Web links

Commons : Sphyrelaton of a Winged Goddess  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Sphyrelaton of a winged goddess in the Arachne archaeological database