Iniohos - He Who Holds The Reins

The Charioteer of Delphi. (detail) Cast in Bronze (also copper, silver, and onyx are present) Collection: Delphi Archaeological museum Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vognstyreren-fra_Delfi2.jpg

For the time being, no other era in the history of ancient times has been in so many different ways and so often "quoted" in the fashion trends of later ages as an outfit of the classical period of the Ancient Greece. The bronze sculpture - Charioteer of Delphi - is one of the most clear-looking examples of fashion costumes of the antique age. 
​This is also the case of today. 

A Classic Canon of Antiquity

 
​​Found by French excavators in 1896 near the north-west region of the temple of Apollo, the Charioteer of Delphi is one of the few original bronze statues that have passed the test of time. It remained in the same location that Pausania, the Greek travel writer of the second century B.C., found him as evident in his “Guide to Greece”. Recovering this work in Delphi was a great achievement and scholars believe that this is only a part of a much larger work, which still remains unknown. [1.]
​The Charioteer of Delphi is one of the most important sculptures of ancient Greece partly because it vividly represents the passage from the Archaic conventions to the Classical ideals. It exemplifies the balance between stylized geometric representation and idealized realism, thus capturing the moment in history when western civilization leaped forward to define its own foundations that braced it for the next few millennia.

Victorious charioteer stands with admirable modesty and faces the crowd in total control of his emotions. This Self-discipline was a sign of civilized man in Classical Greece, and a concept that permeates the art of this period. The ability to restrain one's emotions especially during the most challenging of moments came to define the entire Classical era of Greek art and thought. [2.] 
​
Iniohos (he who holds the reins) as is his Greek name, was part of a complex of statues that included his four horses and the chariot upon which he stood. With the exception of his missing left arm, the bronze statue is preserved in remarkable state. Most of the surface details are evident as the attractive green patina has protected the bronze for centuries when it was buried underground. What remains of the entire complex of statues besides the Charioteer is small parts of the horses and the reins as witnesses to the lost, grandiose, three dimensional composition.
Parts of the base have also survived with an inscription indicating that the statue was commissioned by Polyzalus who was the tyrant of Gela - a Greek colony in Sicily as tribute to Apollo for helping him win the chariot race during the Pythian games.

The Prototype Of A Column Type Dress

The bronze figure depicts the robust charioteer in control and at repose on conclusion of his victory, before an eternally admiring crowd. The horses and chariot are stationary; there is no tension in the exquisitely rendered reins and the robe is static, the figure in equilibrium.  There is an idealized clarity in the detailing: the fabric of the long chiton, or this athletic version called xystis, is entirely credible in its draped form. The xystis is the typical chiton that all chariot drivers wore during the race. It spans his whole body all the way to his ankles, and is fastened high at the waist as was customary with a plain belt. The two straps that cross high at his upper back and round his shoulders are also typical of a chariot racer's attire, and they prevent the xystis from "ballooning" as the air is forced inside the chiton during the race. [3.]
The cast-bronze sculpture marks a transition, sometimes known as "Severe style", between the stylized Archaic manner and the idealized realism of the classical style. 

Charioteer's face, hair & headpiece 

The facial expression betrays none of the exuberance we would expect a victorious athlete to project, especially immediately following the race. Instead the athletic youth stands and stares with a natural ease that allows him to levitate in a realm between earthly and divine spaces. The statue's eyelashes and the lips are made of copper, while the head band in the shape of a meander is impressed in silver, and the eyes are made of onyx. The detailed curls of his wet hair and soft beard speak of the preceding race in intimate and subtle details that lend the sculpture an aura of luxury and idealized realism. The short-cropped hair and the youthful traces of incipient beard are rendered in an idealized pattern that no only has sufficient vitality to express the natural energy of the young charioteer but is also decorative. 


Details of Charioteer's Garment 

​Halter-neck - the "raglan" line of the strap around the shoulders is achieved by forming a twisted figure of eight that is knotted and pulled over the fullness that hangs below the armhole, with the cross point at the nape of the neck. This is remarkable detail that from time to time is still in use in the contemporary fashion styles.

Densly Packed Gathers - the xystis has a detail on the shoulder that shows the broad fabric gathered together. It is likely that the weaver simply pulled a cluster of three or four weft threads to a tighter width, thus creating natural small pleats. 

Ankle-length Fabric - a wide belt contains the excess fabric at the high waist, which results in the perpendicular flow of the fabric to the bare feet, thus providing freedom of movement. The detail of the feet is renowned as true to life. [4.] 

All of these details are considered to be iconic features of the so-called neo-classical fashion style, to this day.

The Delphos Gown is the most obvious one reference of the 20th century art of fashion. But there are so many more.

The Delphos Gown was a finely pleated silk dress first created in about 1907 by Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo (1871–1949) and made until about 1950. It was inspired by, and named after, a classical Greek statue, the Charioteer of Delphi.

 

​References & further reading: 

1.www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/courses/greekpast/4693.html
2. ancient-greece.org/art/chiarioteer.html 
3. ancient-greece.org/resources/glossary/xystis.html
​4. Fashion - The Whole Story./general editor Marnie Fogg. - London: Thames & Hudson, 2013. - p. 21.)

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