Elgin marbles

American  

[el-gin, -jin] / ˈɛl gɪn, -dʒɪn /

plural noun

1. a group of Greek sculptures of the 5th century b.c., originally on the Parthenon in Athens, and supposedly sculptured under the direction of Phidias: presently in the British Museum in London.

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Elgin marbles British  

plural noun

1. a group of 5th-century _bc Greek sculptures originally decorating the Parthenon in Athens, brought to England by Thomas Bruce, seventh Earl of Elgin (1766–1841), and now at the British Museum

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Etymology

Origin of Elgin marbles

After Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin (1766–1841), who arranged for their removal from Athens

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Elgin marbles

A solution for the Elgin marbles: Robot-carved replicas?

From Washington Post ● Aug. 28, 2022

In the nineteen-thirties, restorers at the British Museum polished the Elgin marbles, the most treasured sculptures from the Acropolis, until they were as white and shiny as pearls.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 22, 2018

By coincidence, one of the story's central characters is Lord Elgin - son of the man who removed the so-called "Elgin marbles" from Greece.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2015

The president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin, today visits the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, where one of the Parthenon sculptures called the Elgin marbles went on display Saturday.

From New York Times ● Dec. 8, 2014

This had been finished after his victory in the matter of the Elgin marbles.

From Life of John Keats His Life and Poetry, his Friends, Critics and After-fame by Sidney Colvin