Reproduction of The Introduction of Herakles into Olympos

Gilliéron’s watercolors of the limestone sculptures on the Athenian Acropolis meticulously render their vibrant colors, including red, blue, black, green, and yellow, at the time of their discovery, before they were altered by prolonged exposure to the elements. This pediment, restored from fragments discovered east and southeast of the Parthenon in 1888, decorated one of the smaller buildings that stood on the Acropolis during the sixth century b.c. The scene shows Zeus and Hera enthroned and receiving the hero Herakles on Mount Olympos. Gilliéron’s half-scale watercolor reveals the exceptionally fine and intricate detail on the garments, throne, and footstool. At a time when classical sculpture and architecture were visualized in terms of white marble, Gillieìron’s representations introduced a broad audience to ancient Greek polychromy.