Title |
Kore Phrasikleia (4889) and kouros of Merenda, front view. |
Creator |
Aristion of Paros (Greek sculptor, 6th c BC) |
Date |
Kore: 550-540 BCE?; kouros: 540-530 BCE? |
Cultural Context |
Aegean Ancient Greek Greek European Western European |
Style/Period |
Greek (ancient) Archaic (Greek) |
Subject |
Men Women Nudes Genitals Headdresses Wreaths Hairstyles Jewelry Necklaces Earrings Bracelets Flowers Rosettes Swastikas Patterns (Design elements) |
Description |
Kore: "Found at Merenda (ancient Myrrhinous), Attica, in 1972. […] Funerary statue. Found in a pit in the cemetery of Myrrhinous together with kouros [of Merenda] (inv. no. 4890). Preserved in excellent condition. The girl is depicted standing frontally. She wears a full-length, sleeved chiton girt at the waist. With her right hand she draws up the side of the chiton and in her left holds a lotus bud in front of her breast. The chiton, which was originally red, as is clear from the paint preserved in several places, was decorated with a variety of motifs, such as rosettes, swastikas and stars, and at the front has a broad band of meander pattern running from the neck to the feet and continuing on the top hem and the sleeves. The bottom hem is decorated with a zone of colored leaf ornaments. She wears a necklace, earrings and bracelets. Her hair hangs to her breast in long beaded tresses, and sits on her forehead in waves. On her head she wears a tall wreath decorated with flowers alternating with lotus buds. The base of the statue, which has been known since 1730, was built into the church of the Virgin, a short distance from where the kore was found. On its front is carved the epigram: 'Grave marker of Phrasikleia. I shall ever be called maiden (kore), the gods allotting me this name in place of marriage.' At the top of the left side is the name of the sculptor: 'Aristion of Paros made me.'"; Kouros: : "Found at Merenda (ancient Myrrhinous), Attica, in 1972. […] This kouros was found together with the kore Phrasikleia (inv. no. 4889) and, like it, was a funerary statue. The feet are missing from the ankles down and the right hand from the wrist. Parts of the arms and the left wrist are restored. The left leg is advanced. The arms hang at the sides, slightly bent at the elbows, and just separated from the thighs, on which they rest with the aid of a very thin support. On his head he wears a diadem with flammiform decoration above the forehead, while the tresses of hair on the nape of the neck are tied with a thin cord and terminate in two volutes. The hair sits in shell-like curls on the forehead, is wavy on the top of the head, and hangs down the back in twenty beaded tresses. He has a flat, wide forehead and small, almond-shaped eyes, and the eyebrows are not clearly delineated. The transverse abdominal muscles are strongly modeled. Red paint is preserved on the hair, the eyebrows and the nipples. The pubic hair was also rendered by paint, as was the necklace he wore around his neck." (Entries from Kaltsas, pp. 48-49) |
Material |
Parian marble Marble (rock) Rock Stone (rock) |
Measurements |
Kore: H: 1.79 m; kouros: H: 1.89 m |
Technique |
Sculpting Carving (processes) |
Work Type |
Sculpture Statues Korai (statues) Kouroi |
Repository |
National Archaeological Museum (Athens, Greece) |
Source |
Valavanis, Panos. Great Moments in Greek Archaeology. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2007. (p.336, figs.8-9). Additional cataloging information from: Kaltsas, Nikolaos. Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Trans. David Hardy. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2002. (pp. 48-49). |
Rights |
© 2007 Kapon Editions, Athens, Greece. Source of illustrations in Valavanis: Archaeological Receipts Fund (Athens). |
Digital Publisher |
University of Louisville Department of Fine Arts/Allen R. Hite Art Institute Visual Resources Center |
Format |
image/jpeg |
Digital File Name |
VRC 758-35.jpg |
Rating |
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