chryselephantine
Gilded ivory sculpture
Chryselephantine describes ancient Greek sculpture made of gold and ivory over a wooden frame—gold for clothing and hair, ivory for flesh.
The technique produced the most prestigious cult statues of antiquity, including the lost wonders of Phidias: the Athena Parthenos and the Zeus at Olympia.
The word appears almost exclusively in art history and classical archaeology.
Greek sky god
- AthenaGreek wisdom deity
- ParthenonAncient Greek hilltop temple
- OlympiaWashington state's seat
- statueThree-dimensional sculpted likeness
ivory · gold · colossal · polychrome · overlay · gilding · inlay · figurine
Of Athenian origin
- HellenicOf Greek origin
- antiquityGreat age, ancient era
- templeSacred worship structure
- mythologyBody of traditional tales
worship · cult · ritual · Athens · Olympia · Parthenon · classical · sanctuary
Tusk-derived material
- goldElement seventy-nine
- preciousHighly esteemed, greatly valued
- overlayCovering placed atop
- gildingApplying decorative gold coating
inlay · ebony · amber · gemstone · tusks · joinery · encrustation · lamination
Splendidly rich and costly
- lavishAbundant beyond necessity
- ornateElaborately decorated
- extravagantExceeding sensible bounds
- resplendentImpressively beautiful, richly shining
magnificent · splendid · gilded · grandiose · palatial · ostentatious · richness · splendor
Zeus
Greek sky god
statue · ivory · gold · colossal · polychrome · overlay · gilding · inlay · figurine · idol
Greek
Of Athenian origin
mythology · worship · cult · ritual · Athens · Olympia · Parthenon · classical · sanctuary · deity
ivory
Tusk-derived material
gilding · inlay · ebony · amber · gemstone · tusks · joinery · encrustation · lamination · hammered
sumptuous
Splendidly rich and costly
- lavishAbundant beyond necessity
- ornateElaborately decorated
- extravagantExceeding sensible bounds
resplendent · magnificent · splendid · gilded · grandiose · palatial · ostentatious · richness · splendor · grandeur
- Classical ArtGreek art, Roman art, neoclassicism, baroque, renaissance
- Greek sculpturemarble statues, bronze sculptures, Myron, Venus de Milo, caryatid
- monumentsWashington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, Arc de Triomphe
chryselephantinemonolithic
Massive and undifferentiated
bronze · terracotta · stone · wooden · granite
chryselephantineterracotta
Fired reddish-brown ceramic
clay · wooden · base metal · plaster · stucco