Frieze of Parnassus facts for kids

The Frieze of Parnassus goes around the bottom of the Albert Memorial in London. It has 169 life-size sculptures of famous artists from history. The whole frieze is about 64 meters (210 feet) long. You can see:
South side: musicians and poets
East side: painters
North side: architects
West side: sculptors

The Frieze of Parnassus is a huge stone carving that wraps around the base of the Albert Memorial in London, England. This memorial was built in the 1860s. It was made to remember Prince Albert, who was the husband of Queen Victoria.

The frieze gets its name from Mount Parnassus. In ancient Greek stories, this mountain was a favorite spot for the Muses. The Muses were goddesses who inspired people in arts and sciences. The frieze shows 169 life-size sculptures of famous people. These include composers, architects, poets, painters, and sculptors from history. Some figures were carved so they stick out a little (low-relief). Others stick out a lot (high-relief).

The total length of the frieze is about 64 meters (210 feet). The person who designed the memorial, George Gilbert Scott, wanted the frieze to be its "soul." He was inspired by a famous painting called the Hémicycle des Beaux Arts. The memorial isn't perfectly lined up with the compass directions. But the sides are still called by their directions. Musicians and poets are on the south side. Painters are on the east side. Sculptors are on the west side. And architects are on the north side.

Henry Hugh Armstead carved the figures on the south and east sides. These were the painters, musicians, and poets (80 in total). He grouped them by their home countries. John Birnie Philip carved the figures on the west and north sides. These were the sculptors and architects (89 named figures, plus two general ones). He put them in order from oldest to newest.

The carving was done right on the spot. Scott said it was "perhaps one of the most laborious works of sculpture ever undertaken." This means it was one of the hardest carving jobs ever. The first plans in 1864 said the work should take four years. It was supposed to cost about £7,781. But it ended up costing about £2,000 more. The work was finally finished in 1872.

You can often see large groups of famous people from the past on public buildings. Many buildings from the late 1800s have them. For example, the Walhalla temple in Bavaria and the Panthéon in Paris were built for this very reason. Many artists are also shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum. This museum is very close to the Albert Memorial. A mosaic frieze of general art figures goes around the Royal Albert Hall. This hall is right next to the memorial. A painting called The Parnassus by Raphael (from 1511) also shows a group of great artists.

Who is on the Frieze of Parnassus?

The Frieze of Parnassus features many famous people. They are grouped by their artistic field and placed on different sides of the memorial.

Musicians and Poets (South Side)

This side faces south, which was considered the most important direction. It features many well-known musicians and poets.

Painters (East Side)

The east side of the frieze is dedicated to famous painters.

Architects (North Side)

The north side of the frieze honors important architects throughout history.

Sculptors (West Side)

The west side of the frieze is dedicated to famous sculptors.

Why were certain figures chosen?

The frieze in its setting; the Albert Memorial seen from the south side.

The choice of figures on the frieze shows what people thought was important back in the 1860s. For example, it seems a bit strange that Schubert was left out. He is a very famous composer today. But back then, some people thought his music was not serious enough.

Among the painters, the frieze mainly shows artists from a classical style. It doesn't include some important art movements like Mannerism or Rococo. Today, artists like Antoine Watteau and François Boucher would definitely be on the list. The frieze also shows that Prince Albert liked older, "primitive" art from the late Middle Ages. However, some important artists from that time, like Duccio, are missing. Other artists like Botticelli, Vermeer, El Greco, Caravaggio, and Goya are now very famous. But they were not as well-known or liked when the frieze was made.

No English poet after John Milton was included. Among the architects, there is one woman, Nitocris. She is the only woman shown on the frieze. She might have been chosen because people once thought she built the pyramid now known to be by Menkaura.

Other famous people are honored elsewhere on the Albert Memorial. For example, Apelles (a painter), King Solomon (an architect), and King David (a poet) are on the canopy mosaics. But they are not on the frieze itself. The south side of the memorial was the most important. This is the direction Albert's statue faces. So, poets and musicians are placed there. Poets are in the very center. This shows that people in Victorian times thought poetry was the highest form of art.

The way the other groups are arranged also shows Victorian ideas. The fine arts, like sculptors and painters, are on the east and west sides. They connect the spiritual side (poets and musicians) on the south to the practical side (architects) on the north. At least three sides also have a main figure sitting on a throne. These are Homer for the poets, Raphael for the painters, and Michelangelo for the sculptors.

Originally, the designer, Scott, wanted to be the last architect shown. But he realized he had forgotten Pugin. Pugin was a very important architect in the Victorian Gothic Revival style. So, Scott put Pugin's statue there instead. He then added himself as a small carving, looking over Pugin's shoulder.

Cool details and accuracy

The frieze has many accurate and interesting details. For example, Phidias is shown as bald. Homer, the bard, holds a musical instrument called a phorminx (a type of lyre). William Hogarth has his dog with him. Paolo Veronese rests his hand on a greyhound. Daniel Auber has his right arm in a sling. William of Wykeham and Jean de Chelles hold models of buildings. Apollodorus of Damascus holds a model of Trajan's Column. Hiram holds a special object. Dibutades and Phidias hold sculptures. Ghiberti leans on a panel. Donatello and Michelangelo hold sculptures. And a group of people are admiring a statue next to Cellini.

You can also see accurate clothing from different time periods. The facial hair, furniture, and accessories are also very detailed. These include scrolls, books, swords, and paint palettes. The figures are posed in different ways. Some are alone, and some are in groups. Some figures face each other, showing admiration or deep conversation.