**First Time At Auction**
Western Greece, Archaic period, ca. 600 BCE. An excellent and well-preserved example of a mold-made ceramic kore, a standing woman draped in a pleated peplos beneath a long himation. Crowned by a veil and braided coiffure, her elegant visage embodies the Classical ideal, complete with arched brows, almond-shaped eyes, a petite nose, and a traditional Archaic smile. Her left arm falls to her side with the hand grasping the hem of her himation as her right holds a wreath, a symbol of victory and accomplishment. At one point, she was probably brightly painted. It is not known if she represents a deity - perhaps Persephone - or a human woman, but monumental finds indicate that kore were common sights, both in public and private, for the Archaic Greeks. Size: 2.1" W x 7.9" H (5.3 cm x 20.1 cm); 8.7" H (22.1 cm) on included custom stand.
By the seventh century BCE, Greek art began to evolve from its embrace of the geometric style, which was favored between approximately 1050 and 700 BCE, to a desire to create more naturalistic representations of the human figure. Most famous are the freestanding sculptures of two main types, the male standing youth known as a kouros, and the draped standing female kore. The earliest examples demonstrate an Egyptian influence in both pose and proportions, but over time sculptors created even more lifelike representations. These were placed in sanctuaries as well as cemeteries and served as grave markers and dedications to the deities.
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Provenance: ex-Royal Athena Galleries, New York City, New York, USA; ex-Gorny & Mosch, Munich, Germany, December 2009; ex-private German collection
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#177256
Condition
Professionally repaired and restored at lower legs, and some light surface wear, commensurate with age. Otherwise, excellent with nicely preserved detail and some small areas of earthen encrustations.