SculptureGreek3rd-2nd century BCE

Standing Woman (Aphrodite?)

3rd-2nd century BCE

Description

Almost complete figurine; missing arms. Repaired from several fragments. Standing woman, partly draped; possibly Aphrodite. Small head, sporting a triangular crown and looking up and to the right. Her hair is twisted into separate sections and pulled back into a low ponytail; curly locks frame the face. Regular features: almond-shaped eyes with both lids rendered in relief and an attempt at a “melting” gaze; straight nose; closed, plump mouth. Head and body are out of proportion with each other, a not untypical result of using separate molds to form them. Thick upper torso, nude down to the hips. Small breasts; large, round navel. Legs are covered with a long chiton under a mantle that has been rolled around the hips. Thick, heavy folds. Although the arms are now missing, scoring at the shoulders indicate that they were originally present; the right should have gestured upwards, while the left fell down the side of the body, or stretched forward in offering. Right leg engaged and forward; left leg bent at the knee and pointed to the back and side. She appears to be wearing plain shoes. Hollow and heavy. Mold-made in several bivalve molds, explaining the jarring proportions and missing arms. Upper torso could have been adapted from a male model with the addition of breasts; legs seem to have been adapted from a typical standing draped woman. Detailing, especially on rolled mantle, done through incision. Some modeling at the back, but coarse. No venthole. Attached to a square, narrow base. Dark maroon clay, hard-fired.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Mold-made

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek

Period

Hellenistic period

Century

3rd-2nd century BCE