The Metropolitan Museum of Art has an impressive collection of Attica art, a region surrounding the ancient city of Athens; the one most captivating to me was the Marble Capital and Finial in the form of a Sphinx. The Marble Capital and Finial in the form of a Sphinx, was purchased through Martin Birnbaum in 1936, and it was said to be from Kataphygi, Attica. In the Archaic period, during the sixth century BC, sphinxes appear on top and inside Greek temples. In Greek mythology, the sphinx is usually the head of a woman, the body of a lioness, the wings of an eagle, and the tale is that of a serpent head. In Greek Mythology, the Sphinx was sent by the goddess Hera or Ares as retribution for the crimes of Laius, and the Thebes civilians took part.
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Travelers who wanted to enter the city would have to answer the Sphinx’s riddle: "What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" Those who fail to answer the riddle will be tormented to death. Oedipus was the only one who answered the riddle correctly; he responded, “It is man, himself, who crawls as an infant, rises to two feet as an adult, and often requires the aid of a walking stick as a "third leg" in old age, the "evening" of life.” Oedipus saved his life and all of Thebes and was awarded king of the city. Since the Sphinx were depicted as monstrous, they were often on grave monuments as guardians of the dead. The Marble Capital and Finial are in the form of a Sphinx, and most Greek sphinx museums today are from ancient gravestones. Description: My first stop at the Metropolitan Museum was the Greek and Roman Art Gallery, where I saw The Marble Capital and Finial in the form of a Sphinx. I was intrigued by how beautiful the Sphinx was. The face of the Sphinx looks very youthful, almost like a little
Travelers who wanted to enter the city would have to answer the Sphinx’s riddle: "What goes on four legs in the morning, two in the afternoon, and three in the evening?" Those who fail to answer the riddle will be tormented to death. Oedipus was the only one who answered the riddle correctly; he responded, “It is man, himself, who crawls as an infant, rises to two feet as an adult, and often requires the aid of a walking stick as a "third leg" in old age, the "evening" of life.” Oedipus saved his life and all of Thebes and was awarded king of the city. Since the Sphinx were depicted as monstrous, they were often on grave monuments as guardians of the dead. The Marble Capital and Finial are in the form of a Sphinx, and most Greek sphinx museums today are from ancient gravestones. Description: My first stop at the Metropolitan Museum was the Greek and Roman Art Gallery, where I saw The Marble Capital and Finial in the form of a Sphinx. I was intrigued by how beautiful the Sphinx was. The face of the Sphinx looks very youthful, almost like a little