Niobides

Old Silvia is famous for its magnificent sculptures, which are located along all the alleys in this part of Pavlovsk Park. Four of the twelve paths radiating from the center and leading from the square to the Old Silvia ponds feature several statues of the Niobids hiding in the forest, fleeing from Apollo with a bow. They are perceived as a sculptural group; the figures of the Niobids are copies of ancient sculptures created in the 4th century BC by the ancient Greek sculptor Scopas. The "Niobids" of Old Silvia were made in the 1780s based on wax models by the sculptor Gordeev, who taught at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He made accurate copies of sculptures by the Greek architect Scopas, who worked in the 4th century BC. The originals were found in Rome in 1583. Since 1775, the originals have been housed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Initially, they were installed in the Cameron Gallery, then in the Maidens' Garden in Tsarskoye Selo, and since 1798 in Pavlovsk Park in Old Silvia.

The story of the Niobids has its roots in ancient mythology. Niobe was the daughter of Tantalus and the wife of the king of Thebes, Amphion, and was very proud of her twelve children. The proud woman became so arrogant that she rudely spoke against the goddess Leto, who had only two children—Apollo and Artemis. Besides her disparaging remarks, Niobe forbade the women of Thebes from making sacrifices in honor of Leto, and the enraged Leto asked her divine children to punish the proud woman. Apollo struck down Niobe’s sons with his arrows, and her daughters fell by the wrath of Artemis. They died one after another before their mother’s eyes. Here is a young man, fallen on one knee. His slender figure is full of tension, his head with a suffering face thrown back, fingers clenched tightly. The other three statues—young women—are also in tragic, dynamic poses. One is especially touching. She seems to be running, escaping inevitable death. The fluttering clothes emphasize the swiftness of her flight. Her face, with an open mouth and deeply sunken eyes, conveys fear of death. The dynamic figures, tragic in their despair, sharply contrast with the majestically calm statues of the round square. Apollo looks toward the flight of the arrow he has just released from his bow; the arrow is clearly aimed at the three daughters and son of Niobe.

Niobe, left alone in the whole world, was petrified with grief.

When the war began, the statues were hidden by burying them in Pavlovsk Park. In the postwar period, all of them were successfully found and restored on their preserved pedestals.

Source:

https://www.spb-guide.ru/page_20053.htm

Hanukaeva S. Sculpture of Old Silvia in Pavlovsk Park.