ated only by walking around it. From one side, the observer sees the
Gaul’s intensely expressive face, from another his powerful torso, and
from a third the woman’s limp and almost lifeless body. The man’s
twisting posture, the almost theatrical gestures, and the emotional in-
tensity of the suicidal act are hallmarks of the Pergamene baroque
style and have close parallels in the later frieze of Zeus’s altar.
The third Gaul from this group is a trumpeter (FIG. 5-81) who
collapses upon his large oval shield as blood pours from the gash in
his chest. He stares at the ground with a pained expression. The Hel-
lenistic figure recalls the dying warrior (FIG. 5-29) from the east ped-
iment of the Temple of Aphaia at Aegina, but the pathos and drama
of the suffering Gaul are far more pronounced. As in the suicide
group and the gigantomachy frieze, the sculptor rendered the male
musculature in an exaggerated manner. Note the tautness of the
chest and the bulging veins of the left leg—implying that the unseen
Attalid hero who has struck down this noble and savage foe must
have been an extraordinary warrior. If this figure is the tubicen
(trumpeter) Pliny mentioned as the work of the Pergamene master
Epigonos,then Epigonos may be the sculptor of the entire group
and the creator of the dynamic Hellenistic baroque style.
Sculpture
In different ways, Praxiteles, Skopas, and Lysippos had already taken
bold steps in redefining the nature of Greek statuary. But Hellenis-
tic sculptors went still further, both in terms of style and in expand-
ing the range of subjects considered suitable for monumental
sculpture.
NIKE OF SAMOTHRACE One of the masterpieces of Hellenis-
tic baroque sculpture was set up in the Sanctuary of the Great Gods
on the island of Samothrace. The Nike of Samothrace (FIG. 5-82) has
just alighted on the prow of a Greek warship. Her missing right arm
was once raised high to crown the naval victor, just as Nike placed a
wreath on Athena on the Altar of Zeus (FIG. 5-79). But the Pergamene
5-81Epigonos(?),Dying Gaul. Roman
marble copy of a bronze original of ca.
230–220 bce, 3 –^12 high. Museo Capitolino,
Rome.
The Gauls in the Pergamene victory groups
were shown as barbarians with bushy hair,
mustaches, and neck bands, but they were
also portrayed as noble foes who fought to
the end.5-82Nike alighting on a warship (Nike of Samothrace), from
Samothrace, Greece, ca. 190 bce.Marble, figure 8 1 high. Louvre, Paris.
Victory has just landed on a prow to crown a victor at sea. Her wings
still beat, and the wind sweeps her drapery. The placement of the statue
in a fountain of splashing water heightened the dramatic visual effect.
1 ft.1 ft.Hellenistic Period 149