Tall Hellenistic Greek Marble Statue of Woman

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Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic

By Artemis Gallery

Feb 21, 2019

Set Reminder 2019-02-21 10:00:00 2019-02-21 10:00:00 America/New_York Bidsquare Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
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• Lot Description
  Greece, Hellenistic Period, ca. late 4th to 1st century BCE. A marble sculpture of a thoughtful, standing woman carved in the round, perhaps made to be displayed in a home or sanctuary. This figure may represent the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite, or she may be an elite young woman. She stands with her head slightly tilted, in the naturalistic pose familiar with from other Hellenistic statuary of women, like those made of terracotta at Tanagra. She wears a tiered chiton thinly belted below her breasts with the drapes and folds of the fabric carefully portrayed on front and back. Small indents on either side of her chest may have once held implements now lost along with her arms and hands. Her face presents smooth youthful skin without a single wrinkle, with shallow eyes that were likely painted, thick brows, a petite nose, and a full-lipped mouth set in a neutral expression. Her hair is worn parted at the center, crowned by a diadem, with the bulk of it knotted in a bun on the back of her head. A few long strands escape to rest on her shoulders. Size: 3.75" L x 7.95" W x 21.1" H (9.5 cm x 20.2 cm x 53.6 cm); 25" H (63.5 cm) on included custom stand.
  
  Inspired by historical knowledge like that collected at the Library of Alexandria, prominent Hellenistic art collectors commissioned sculptures based on public statues from the earlier Classical Period. They echoed the naturalistic, detailed style begun during the that time that reached a pinnacle in statuary during the Hellenistic period. Artisans looked to inspiration not only from the past but also from what they observed around them - often women. Although women were also subjects of Classical sculpture, in the Hellenistic period, there was a flowering of artwork depicting them in naturalistic poses and everyday life - first as goddesses, later as ordinary women in a range of activities. This coincided with women becoming more powerful in public life - beginning with Olympias, Alexander the Great's mother who looked after the court of Macedon in his absence, Hellenistic women began to use their talents in the political sphere in a way that they were unable to during the Classical period (when Pericles famously said that the greatest glory of women was to be least talked about by men). Women gained economic and legal responsibilities and could become citizens in their own right, separate from their husbands. For example, a woman held the office of Phile of Priene, supervising the construction of a reservoir and aqueduct. Meanwhile, inscriptions from Delos reveal that women held property and slaves and were responsible for their own debts. Looking at this sculpture, it is fascinating to think of her as a real person whose society recognized her as an individual with authority, rather than an idealized form.
  
  Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-William Froelich collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1970s
  
  All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
  
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  #143840

  Condition

  Head has been reattached with light restoration around the neckline. Otherwise unrepaired and unrestored, with losses to the lower arms and legs. Tip of nose is also worn away. Deposits and light weathering on surface, but many of the details are still clear.
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