Getty Museum

Statuette of Kore

Date

about 480 B.C.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Etruscan

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

Solid cast in bronze, this statuette may represent a kore (maiden) or Phersipnai, the Etruscan equivalent of Persephone, the Greek goddess of the Underworld. Between the thumb and forefinger of her raised right hand, she holds one of the goddess’s typical attributes, either a flower bud or an egg. Over a pair of sleeved Ionic chitons with a folded collar, which cover the body down to her bare feet, a short himation (cloak) is draped diagonally between her breasts and falls over her thighs in vertical folds. Wearing a crescent diadem fastened by a ribbon around the crown of her head, she is one of the first representations of an Etruscan woman to wear her hair cropped short. The frontal pose of a standing female, who advances one leg and holds up her skirt, reflects the influence of Greek korai statues. In Etruria, similar figurines have been found in tombs and in sanctuaries. Under each foot is a tang, indicating that this figurine was once attached to a base and was likely a votive offering.

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