. Greek athletic sports and festivals . Fig. 85.— kylix. Louvre. to the right instead of forwards. The bend of the rightarm which is noticeable on some of the coins is clearly dueto considerations of space. The diskos is represented atright angles to the body, because, if drawn parallel, it wouldappear from the front as a thin line, which in so small aspace would be almost unrecognisable. The position of theunemployed left hand may point to a difference in the style ofthrowing. (c) The Throw.— The diskobolos, says Lucian, speakingof Myrons statue, seems as if he would straighten himself u
. Greek athletic sports and festivals . Fig. 85.— kylix. Louvre. to the right instead of forwards. The bend of the rightarm which is noticeable on some of the coins is clearly dueto considerations of space. The diskos is represented atright angles to the body, because, if drawn parallel, it wouldappear from the front as a thin line, which in so small aspace would be almost unrecognisable. The position of theunemployed left hand may point to a difference in the style ofthrowing. (c) The Throw.— The diskobolos, says Lucian, speakingof Myrons statue, seems as if he would straighten himself up 332 GREEK ATHLETIC SPORTS AND FESTIVALS CHAP. at the throw. ^ At the beginning of the swing forward theextensor muscles come into play, and by a vigorous lift fromthe right thigh the whole body is raised and momentary but most important movement is cleverly. i Fig. 86.—Coins of Cos, in British Museum (enlarged). represented on two vases, a Panathenaic vase in Naples and ablack-figured hydria in the British Museum (Figs. 87, 88).^ ^ Philopftend. 18. 2 Dr. Jiithner deduces from these vases liis theory of the Kreisschwimg, animpossible method of throwing the diskos by whirling the arm right round, for acriticism of which vide p. 33. XV THE DISKOS—THE THROW 333 The attitude depicted is unique in Greek athletic art, whichprefers positions of comparative rest and equilibrium. Buthere we have a sort of snapshot, an impressionist picture of aposition almost too momentary to be seen, too unstable tomaintain. On the Panathenaic vase especially, the throwerseems to be flying from the ground in a way which recallsthe figures of winged Victory so strongly as to suggest theidea that the attitude is borrowed from that type. Thediskobolos, however, has no wings, and unless he quicklyrecovers his equilibrium by advanc-ing one foot, he must
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