Korai of the Acropolis of Athens

Last updated
The Kore of Lyons in the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon Lyons Kore MBA Lyon H1993.jpg
The Kore of Lyons in the Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon

The Korai of the Acropolis of Athens are a group of female statues (Korai), discovered in the Perserschutt of the Acropolis of Athens in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, all of the same typology and clear votive function. Through them it is possible to trace the stylistic evolution of Archaic Attic sculpture for almost a century, from 570 to 480 BC. This demonstrates in particular the beginning and development of Ionian influence on Athenian art of the second half of the 6th century BC. This was the period when Ionian elements first appear in the architectural works of the Peisistratids and close connections between Ionia and Athens developed. Towards the end of the 6th century BC this influence is seen to be overcome, or rather absorbed, and a new style is born, the so-called Severe style, with increasing Peloponnesian influence.

Contents

Description

Peplos Kore, c. 530 BC ACMA 679 Kore 1.JPG
Peplos Kore, c. 530 BC

Among the most ancient korai found on the Athenian acropolis, are Acropolis 619 and Acropolis 677 which date from the first half of the 6th century and derive from Samos and Naxos respectively, while the Kore of Lyons, dating to the middle of the century, represents the first example of Ionian influence on Attic sculpture, as well as the first use of typical Ionian costume in Attica. In the same category is Acropolis 593.

The replacement of the Dorian costume with the Ionian one caused a change in the whole formal system. The hand that held out the offering is detached from the bust to extend forwards, while the arm at her side gathers her skirts, after the model seen in Ionian female figures, like the Group of Geneleos. The change was introduced some time before the Peplos Kore (Acropolis 679), around 10 or 15 years after the Kore of Lyons.

The juxtaposition of the Attic korai of the 530s BC with the Leda on the amphora of Exekias in the Museo Gregoriano Etrusco is common. This group includes the Peplos Kore and Acropolis 678, which however display entirely different temperaments from each other. [1] Acropolis 669 seems to Payne to be a transitional figure; the kore has a body structure close to the older model, but the eyes have been reduced in size and the Nasolacrimal ducts are marked, as in all later korai. From this kore onwards, the Ionian costume assumes a standardised form based on the depth and looseness of the drapery of the himation and on the playful representation of the material. Ernst Langlotz does not considerthe combination of old and new elements sufficient justification for a higher dating and places this kore, like Acropolis 678 at the end of the century.

Acr. 594, c. 520-510 BC ACMA 594 Kore 1.JPG
Acr. 594, c. 520–510 BC

The last thirty years of the 6th century are characterised by great attention to the shaping of the face and to the decoration of surfaces, especially visible in the treatment of hair and clothes. An example of this is Acropolis 682, which is comparable to the caryatids of the Siphnian Treasury, as well as the head, Acropolis 660. Acropolis 594, datable to the 510s BC, with the epiblema worn over the himation, overcomes the dualism between drapery and the form below, as only the creator of the Kore of Euthydikos manages to do. In this figure there is a particular correspondence between the size of the clothing and the body which does not nullify the complexity of the surface design, however.

The Antenor Kore (Acropolis 681) could be considered an interpretation of this theme by its creator. The connection of the statue with the inscribed base which identifies the creator of the statue as the Athenian sculptor Antenor has been doubted, but it was in any case the work of a master: the treatment of the clothes with deep vertical grooves, alternating with horizontal markings is not found on any of the other figures from the Acropolis.

ACMA 674 Kore 1.JPG
Acr. 674, c.500–490 BC
ACMA 685 Kore 2.JPG
Acr.685, c.500-490 BC

The kore Acropolis 674 is unique in its body structure: a long, thick neck and sloping shoulders contrast with head which is a little heavy. The facial expression is underlined by a new understatement in details of the hairstyle and clothing. The modelling of the face anticipates, at the turn of the century, the simplification which is found in the Kore of Euthydikos and in Classical sculpture. [2] The "Archaic smile" disappears with Acropolis 685, which has a similar structure but has an unusual pose: both hands were extended with offering and as a result her clothing is not gathered up and falls vertically, following the line of her body. [3] Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli attributes these korai to a single master whose stylistic fingerprint she also sees in the Kore of Euthydikos and the Blond Ephebe.

Acr. 670, c.520-500 BC ACMA 670 Kore 1.JPG
Acr. 670, c.520–500 BC

Acropolis 670 also has an unusual form, dressed only in a chiton with a belt at the waist which creates a large overhang with the fabric above it, a fashion which corresponds to an old Ionian motif but is unusual in this period. The head Acropolis 643 is one of the masterpieces of Attic sculpture, one of the very few female heads which equal the Rayet Head and the Sabouroff Head.

At the beginning of the 5th century the practice of offering korai as votives began to decline and there are only a few figures from the site which belong to this period. The Peplos Kore exhibits some aspects that point to the statue having Hellenistic origins. As the statue's outfit is notably different from the rest of the Acropolis Korai, Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris theorize that the sculpture's missing arm could have been carrying a bow which is often associated with the Greek deity Artemis. The oldest is Acropolis 684, which has an imposing structure and voluminous drapery. The special individuality of the head recalls Acropolis 674, but is even closer to the Kore of Euthydikos. Because of its similarity to a terracotta head of Athena found at Olympia in 1940, it has been considered the work of a Peloponnesian artist. [4]

Euthydikos Kore The Euthydikos Kore 1.jpg
Euthydikos Kore

The fragmentary Acropolis 696 seems to belong with Acropolis 684 and the kore dedicated by Euthydikos. The face has a wide and uniform appearance, the mouth approaches the form taken by the Kore of Euthydikos and the hair is treated in a simple style. The Attic sculptors began to abandon the complex surface decoration which was used in the earlier period. A new way of thinking replaced the old and many of the forms characteristic of this new style seem to come from Peloponnesian bronzes, just as the Euthydikos Kore, through the Blonde Ephebe, seems stylistically similar to the Apollo of the pediment of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleusinion</span> Ancient sanctuary of Eleusinian Demeter in Athens near the Ancient Agora

Eleusinion, also called the City Eleusinion was a sanctuary on the lower part of the north slope of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, dedicated to Demeter and Kore (Persephone). It was the central hub of Eleusinian Mysteries within Athens and the starting point for the annual procession to Eleusis, in the northwest of Attica. Religious activity is attested in the area from the 7th century BC and construction took place throughout late Archaic, Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman periods. The sanctuary was enclosed within the new city walls built after the Herulian sack of Athens in AD 267 and it remained in use until the late fourth century AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antenor</span> 6th century BC Athenian sculptor

Antenor was an Athenian sculptor. He is recorded as the creator of the joint statues of the tyrannicides Harmodius and Aristogeiton funded by the Athenians on the expulsion of Hippias. These statues were carried away to Susa by Xerxes I of Persia during the Greco-Persian Wars. Archaeologists have also established that a basis signed by "Antenor son of Eumares" belonged to a set of female figures in an archaic style which were displayed in the acropolis. The sculptor of the Harmodius and Aristogeiton is usually listed as the son of Euphranor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erechtheion</span> Ancient Greek temple

The Erechtheion or Temple of Athena Polias is an ancient Greek Ionic temple on the north side of the Acropolis, Athens, which was primarily dedicated to the goddess Athena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peplos</span> Garment worn by women of Ancient Greece

A peplos is a body-length garment established as typical attire for women in ancient Greece by c. 500 BC, during the late Archaic and Classical period. It was a long, rectangular cloth with the top edge folded down about halfway, so that what was the top of the rectangle was now draped below the waist, and the bottom of the rectangle was at the ankle. One side of the peplos could be left open, or pinned or sewn together. In Latin and in a Roman context, it could be called a palla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paeonius of Mende</span> Greek sculptor of the late 5th century BC

Paeonius of Mende, Chalkidiki was a Greek sculptor of the late 5th century BC. He most likely received his early training in Northern Greece and is thought to have later adapted Athenian stylistic elements into his own work, based upon his probable interaction with the Olympia workshop of Phidias. In any case, he was "attic-trained."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Greek sculpture</span>

The sculpture of ancient Greece is the main surviving type of fine ancient Greek art as, with the exception of painted ancient Greek pottery, almost no ancient Greek painting survives. Modern scholarship identifies three major stages in monumental sculpture in bronze and stone: the Archaic, Classical (480–323) and Hellenistic. At all periods there were great numbers of Greek terracotta figurines and small sculptures in metal and other materials.

<i>Perserschutt</i> Ancient fosse in the Acropolis of Athens

The Perserschutt, a German term meaning "Persian debris" or "Persian rubble", refers to the bulk of architectural and votive sculptures that were damaged by the invading Persian army of Xerxes I on the Acropolis of Athens in 480 BC, in the Destruction of Athens during the Second Persian invasion of Greece.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neo-Attic</span>

Neo-Attic or Atticizing is a sculptural style, beginning in Hellenistic sculpture and vase-painting of the 2nd century BC and climaxing in Roman art of the 2nd century AD, copying, adapting or closely following the style shown in reliefs and statues of the Classical and Archaic periods. It was first produced by a number of Neo-Attic workshops at Athens, which began to specialize in it, producing works for purchase by Roman connoisseurs, and was taken up in Rome, probably by Greek artisans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tetradrachm</span> Ancient Greek silver coin

The tetradrachm was a large silver coin that originated in Ancient Greece. It was nominally equivalent to four drachmae. Over time the tetradrachm effectively became the standard coin of the Antiquity, spreading well beyond the borders of the Greek World. As a result, tetradrachms were minted in vast quantities by various polities in many weight and fineness standards, though the Athens-derived Attic standard of about 17.2 grams was the most common.

Kore is the modern term given to a type of free-standing ancient Greek sculpture of the Archaic period depicting female figures, always of a young age. Kouroi are the youthful male equivalent of kore statues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severe style</span> Term for a period of Greek sculpture

The Severe style, or Early Classical style, was the dominant idiom of Greek sculpture in the period ca. 490 to 450 BCE. It marks the breakdown of the canonical forms of archaic art and the transition to the greatly expanded vocabulary and expression of the classical moment of the late 5th century. It was an international style found at many cities in the Hellenic world and in a variety of media including: bronze sculpture in the round, stelae, and architectural relief. The style perhaps realized its greatest fulfillment in the metopes of the Temple of Zeus, Olympia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Apollo Patroos</span>

The Temple of Apollo Patroos is a small ruined temple on the west side of the Ancient Agora of Athens. The original temple was an apsidal structure, built in the mid-sixth century BC and destroyed in 480/79 BC. The area probably remained sacred to Apollo. A new hexastyle ionic temple was built ca. 306-300 BC, which has an unusual L-shaped floor plan. Some fragments from the sculptural decoration of this structure survive. The colossal cult statue, by Euphranor, has also been recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of ancient Greece</span> Overview of and topical guide to ancient Greece

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ancient Greece:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phrasikleia Kore</span> Sculpture by Aristion of Paros

The Phrasikleia Kore is an Archaic Greek funerary statue by the artist Aristion of Paros, created between 550 and 540 BCE. It was found carefully buried in the ancient city of Myrrhinous in Attica and excavated in 1972. The exceptional preservation of the statue and the intact nature of the polychromy elements makes the Phrasikleia Kore one of the most important works of Archaic art.

The Peplos Kore is an ancient sculpture from the Acropolis of Athens. It is considered one of the most well-known examples of Archaic Greek art. Kore is a type of archaic Greek statue that portray a young woman with a stiff posture looking straight forward. Although this statue is one of the most famous examples of a kore, it is actually not considered a typical one. The statue is not completely straight, her face is leaned slightly to the side, and she is standing with her weight shifted to one leg. The other part of the statues name, peplos, is based on the popular archaic Greek gown for women. When the statue was found it was initially thought that she was wearing a peplos, although it is now known that she is not.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antenor Kore</span> Late Archaic statue from 530-520 BC

The Antenor Kore is a Late Archaic statue of a girl (Kore) made of Parian marble, which was created around 530/20 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kore of Lyons</span> Ancient Greek statue

The Kore of Lyons is a Greek statue of Pentelic marble depicting a bust of a young girl of the kore type, conserved at the musée des beaux-arts de Lyon, France. Deriving from the Athenian Acropolis, it is generally dated to the 540s BC. Considered the centrepiece of the museum's antiquities department, the statue was acquired between 1808 and 1810.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Achaemenid destruction of Athens</span> Event in 480 BCE

The Achaemenid destruction of Athens was carried out by the Achaemenid Army of Xerxes I during the Second Persian invasion of Greece, and occurred in two phases over a period of two years, in 480–479 BCE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euthydikos Kore</span> Greek sculpture c 490–480 BCE

The Euthydikos Kore is a late archaic, Parian marble statue of the kore type, c 490–480 BCE, that once stood amongst the Akropolis votive sculptures. It was destroyed during the Persian invasion of 480 BCE and found in the Perserschutt. It is named after the dedication on the base of the sculpture, “Euthydikos son of Thaliarchos dedicated [me]”. It now stands in the Acropolis Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kore 670</span> Archaic Greek sculpture

Kore 670 is a Late Archaic Greek kore made of Parian marble, created in 520–510 BC, measuring 1.15 cm.

References

  1. Bianchi Bandinelli (1986), p.301
  2. Bianchi Bandinelli (1986) p.304.
  3. Bianchi Bandinelli (1986) p.305.
  4. Charbonneaux, Martin, Villard (1978) pp. 278-279.

Bibliography