(artist unknown, from Lefkandi, Euboea) (l.10th bc). Lefkandi Centaur [terra-cotta figure, 14⅛"]. Archaeological Museum, Eretria, Greece.

The development of plastic and decorative forms is deliberate in arrangement and static in terms of emotional content. There is some unevenness, which offers a hint of figurative imperfection amid the order, keeping it from appearing absolutely static. The Lefkandi Centaur is heavily influenced by and a superb example of the ancient Greek Proto-Geometric period, which expands from approximately 1050 to 900 bc, followed by the Geometric period proper, widely accepted to have ended two hundred years later. 

Geometric, non-figurative line more than shape develops the surface decoration of this figure. They are arranged in horizontal register-like motifs across the body, implying muscle or possibly clothing. Shapes are differentiated by two polarized and restricted values. Their decorative nature is based on planar development, gestalt and definition. The manner of abstraction is uniform throughout, probably leaving focus on the recognizability of its head and face, and placid emotional state. While geometric motifs underlay the harmonious character of this work, interest is centered on their decorative contrast against the slightly more life-like, figurative formatting of the plastic forms. Interest is also generated by the stark differences in value.

This figure had a specific ceremonial purpose. It was discovered in pieces buried in a cemetery for not one but a number of people. Centaurs were generally regarded as representing the chaotic nature of the human psyche, and mankind’s inability to control its emotions. It’s possible that as a part of the burial ritual, the destruction of the figure was a ritualistic message of the deceased’s gravity and consistent character.