Catalogue 205

The sculptural group shows the mythical warrior Achilles lifting his vanquished enemy, Prince Hector of Troy, feet first. His right leg steps forwards, a short sword held at waist- height, whilst his gaze turns to the left. He wears a crested anthropomorphic helmet high on his head, showing his thick, short cropped curling hair. The cuirass is moulded with strong musculature, a triple layered kilt stops above his knees, open toed, fur lined boots rising up his calves. Silver inlay has been used for his eyes and to decorate the circular shield that he holds in his left hand and uses to help secure the feet of his vanquished enemy. Inlay, perhaps of copper and one other metal, has now turned green and red, and was used to decorate the shield, his cuirass and kilt, the sword strap that is secured over his right shoulder, and the central section of the dagger’s blade. The inlay was also used to highlight the slash in the vanquished’s neck, indicating blood which has run down onto his own cuirass. Indeed, it should be noted that in the Iliad the fatal blow to Hector was Achilles’ spear to his throat. Hector hangs lifeless, his eyes shut, his wrist through the strap at the back of his circular shield. Achilles stands on a hollowed-out pedestal which once acted as a socket for the blade. Intact. A smooth green patina to most of the bronze, the inlays clearly visible, a couple of small nicks show the brighter metal beneath, a minuscule casting fault at the bottom front of the base.

In Homer’s Iliad, Achilles slayed Hector outside Troy’s walls to avenge the death of his dear companion Patroclus. After pursuing Hector around the city, Achilles finally faced him in one-on-one combat and killed him, bringing down Troy’s strongest warrior. Consumed by grief and fury, Achilles fastened Hector’s body to his chariot by his ankles, and dragged it across the battlefield and around the city walls for several days, though the gods preserved his body. 

Although there is no obvious attachment for the tang of the blade, the overall shape of the work, the circular aperture at the neck of Hector, and the narrow base with hollow area for another object to be inserted would support the theory that this group represents a sword hilt.

An alternative interpretation for the scene has been that the main figure shows Mars Ultor ‘the Avenger’, but this is much less likely.