Standing Woman (Aphrodite?) | Harvard Art Museums

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1926.21.17
Title: Standing Woman (Aphrodite?)
Classification: Sculpture
Work Type: statuette, sculpture
Date: 3rd-2nd century BCE
Places: Creation Place: Europe, Greece
Period: Hellenistic period
Culture: Greek
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/291966

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Terracotta
Technique: Mold-made
Dimensions: 24 × 8.7 × 10.4 cm (9 7/16 × 3 7/16 × 4 1/8 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line: Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Percy S. Straus
Accession Year: 1926
Object Number: 1926.21.17
Division: Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact: am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

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.

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu