Panofka has remarked that till 1833 only three works of art were known representing Theseus in the act of hurling Skiron into the sea, and that one of the three was known to us only through the description by Pausanias.
The active wielding of spade and shovel during the last half century has done much for the elucidation of many an ancient myth; yet, with a few exceptions (as the Euphronios cup from Caere), the monuments have told us little of Skiron.
For this dearth two causes have been suggested: the absence of a universal religious importance in the case of such local legend; and, secondly, the unsuitability of the theme for display of artistic power. The death of Skiron, unlike that of the Minotaur, is the close of a drama simple and isolated in plot and action, whereas the fate of the Cretan monster is closely bound up with the fortunes of a heroine, and leads on to her union with an Olympian god. The myths that gathered round the house of Minos were a fruitful field for the artist as well as for the poet.
Again, the adventures of Theseus with the Amazons were shared with the national hero of Hellas. They brought upon the scene a host of combatants whose graceful forms lent themselves to the display of artistic skill, while their foreign dress and equipments admitted of the greatest variety of treatment. The myth of the Centaurs presents a struggle in which savage power combines with heroic types of beauty to produce a vivid and brilliant picture.