Getty Museum

Fragment of a Statuette of a Kore

Date

about 460 B.C.

Medium

Marble

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The torso of this half life-size draped female figure wears a variation of the usual costume of a kore with undergarment and mantle. She wears a cloak over a dress, probably a chiton, although it is impossible to be certain due to the degraded condition of the surface. The ends of the cloak pass over both shoulders with folds arranged symmetrically down the front of the body. The undergarment is recognized under raking light by an undulating pattern of fabric in the area between the outer garment’s edges and by a faint ridge of the neckline just below the notch at the front of the neck. The type of clothing—a long himation draped over both shoulders—is a scheme seen on statues and statuettes of korai who stand with one or both forearms extended, a gesture of offering. In fact, the remnants of the right arm on the Getty’s figure suggests that it was extended. The garment folds on the right side are slightly advanced, possibly indicating an advancing right leg on the original complete statuette.Votive statuettes carved from stone and wood, modeled from clay, or molded from bronze were produced in large numbers as dedications to divinities in the many sanctuaries founded throughout the Greek world. Figures of all sizes were erected both outside temples and sacred buildings and also displayed within. Statuettes (half or less than half life-size) sometimes feature the poses and clothing seen in large-scale statues. While not exact copies of more renowned large versions, they might be considered renditions of a particular statue. The many small-scale votives that have been found in excavations of Greek sanctuaries provide evidence of ritual activity. They are tangible evidence of the fulfillment of a vow made to a god or gods in exchange for a favorable outcome.

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