Getty Museum

Statuette of a Woman

Date

1st century B.C.

Medium

Marble

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The slender young woman depicted in this statuette wears a chiton made of sheer fabric, belted high under her breasts and sewn to a neck-band that has slipped off her shoulders. Her navel is visible through the chiton. A cloak made of thicker material is secured on her left shoulder and then wraps around her hips where she grasps it with her left hand. Her facial features are idealized and her neck has one horizontal ridge known as a Venus ring, considered a mark of health and beauty in antiquity. The large size of her earlobes suggest earrings carved in relief. Her hair is parted in the middle, rolled back over a flat hair band at the front, and gathered into a bun. Indentations in the hair at the back of the head probably indicate a series of ribbons binding the hair. The right foot extends out from under the hem of the chiton. She wears high platform sandals with a notch between the first and second toes. Underwater incrustation on the surface of the marble, along with mollusks and sea worm casings, indicate the statuette spent a period of time submerged in the sea.Statues of elegantly dressed women such as this one were used for images of goddesses, as well as for portraits of wealthy women and queens. While this figure holds no attributes that would help identify her as a specific goddess, her revealing clothing suggests that she may represent Aphrodite, the goddess of love.

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