I recently had the pleasure of staying in Chicago’s
Palmer House hotel. To quote the plaque
on the statue named Bella Rophan; “The focal
point of our lobby elevator foyer is the dramatic bronze sculpture created in
France in the mid 19th century.”
The artist was Emile Herbert 1828-1893.
“The piece depicts a mythical
Greek Warrior on a bridle-free stallion. The fact that the horse is not
tethered has been interrupted that the creature is the spirit of the wind and
that the warrior simply along for the
ride having no control over the winged steed.“ Which is odd because in Pindar, Olympian Ode 13 the poet states
that “Till Pallas
[Athena], goddess maid, brought him (Bellerophon) the bridle and golden
headband.” I was reminded of the
Helmet of Invisibility lent to Perseus, another flying hero.
The plaque continues with “ A curiosity of the work is the python around the warrior’s head, arms
and hand. The inclusion of the serpent is puzzling and no explanation has been
determined.”
Looking at the statue
from the back side I noticed that the body of the “python” as it trailed down
the warrior’s back, grew stouter, wider and shaggier. I think most classicists would recognize this
as the
“Chimera, who snorted raging fire,
a beast great and terrible, and strong and swift-footed. Her heads were three:
one was that of a glare-eyed lion, one of a goat, and the third of a snake,”
(Hesiod, Theogony 319)
Apparently Bellerophon didn’t want to take the whole beast back as
proof of the kill and chose to return to King Iobates of Lycia
with the smallest of the three heads.
I thought the sculpture’s choice of weapons was
interesting . Legend holds that the
Chimera was slain with a lead-tipped lance shoved into the fire-breathing head
or shot to death from above by Bellerophon astride the flying Pegasus with his
bow and arrows. Instead the artist placed into the warriors
hand and object to heavy and un-winged to be an arrow. Maybe the business end of a broken ashen
shafted, bronze tipped spear. At first
glance I was reminded of the double lotus blossom shape of Zeus’ lightning
bolt, but that doesn’t really work either.
