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 Myrrhinus or Myrrinous ( grc, Μυρρινοῦς) was a deme of ancient Attica. It lay to the east of Prasiae. Artemis Colaenis was worshipped at Myrrhinus; and in one of the inscriptions recovered at Merenda mention is made of a temple of Arte ...

(modern Merenta) in

Attica Attica ( el, Αττική, Ancient Greek ''Attikḗ'' or , or ), or the Attic Peninsula, is a historical region that encompasses the city of Athens, the capital of Greece and its countryside. It is a peninsula projecting into the Aegean S ...

and excavated in 1972. The exceptional preservation of the statue and the intact nature of the

polychromy Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

elements makes the Phrasikleia Kore one of the most important works of Archaic art.Stieber, Mary C. The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. p. 1.

History

The Phrasikleia and the Attic ''

korai Kore (Greek: κόρη "maiden"; plural korai) 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 yo ...

'' are the most well-preserved statues in existence from the 6th century BCE. They represent a type of Archaic female statue intended specifically for funerary use.Stieber, Mary C. The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. p. 141. The Phrasikleia Kore is a

Parian marble Parian marble is a fine-grained semi translucent pure-white and entirely flawless marble quarried during the classical era on the Greek island of Paros in the Aegean Sea. It was highly prized by ancient Greeks for making sculptures. Some of the ...

statue that features prominent polychromy as seen in the hair and the dress. It is thought that the skin of the Phrasikleia Kore was covered with a type of

gum arabic Gum arabic, also known as gum sudani, acacia gum, Arabic gum, gum acacia, acacia, Senegal gum, Indian gum, and by other names, is a natural gum originally consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the ''Acacia'' tree, '' Senegalia se ...

to give it a realistic appearance. This practice is also seen during the same period, used on the sarcophagi of Egyptian mummies.Claridge, Amanda. “Looking for Colour on Greek and Roman Sculpture.” Journal of Art Historiography Number 5 (2011): p. 3. The preservation of the Phrasikleia Kore was so successful because it was buried in a "custom-designed pit." It is thought that the circumstances of the burial of the Phrasikleia Kore was due to the return of the tyrant

Peisistratos Pisistratus or Peisistratus ( grc-gre, Πεισίστρατος ; 600 – 527 BC) was a politician in ancient Athens, ruling as tyrant in the late 560s, the early 550s and from 546 BC until his death. His unification of Attica, the triangular ...

. As he was consolidating political power over Athens, upon his return to the city he and his followers sought to expel any family from Athens who disagreed with his authority.Svenbro, Jesper. ''Phrasikleia: An Anthropology of Reading in Ancient Greece. Myth and Poetics''. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1993. p. 12. Scholars believe that the

Alcmaeonid The Alcmaeonidae or Alcmaeonids ( grc-gre, Ἀλκμαιωνίδαι ; Attic: ) were a wealthy and powerful noble family of ancient Athens, a branch of the Neleides who claimed descent from the mythological Alcmaeon, the great-grandson of Nesto ...

family of Athens was responsible for commissioning the sculpture, and for the subsequent the burial of the Phrasikleia Kore. The freshness of the statue indicates that this powerful family may have still been grieving the young woman when Peisistratos returned to Athens. This is supported by distinct absence of mutilation to the Kore. Additionally, the ancient Greek orator Isocrates recorded that the followers of Peisistratos "not only demolished the houses of the Alcmaeonids but they even opened their graves."

Etymology

The name ''Phrasikleia'' is derived from the archaic Greek word ''kléos'' meaning 'fame'. The word was important to archaic Greek culture, and had significant meaning to the Alcmaeonid family. Evidently, part of an Alcmaeonid family tradition was to bestow given names derived from ''kléos.'' This is repeated from generation to generation, including the names ''Megaklês'' meaning 'great fame', ''Kleisthénēs'' meaning 'fame-strong', and ''Periklês'' meaning 'wide fame'.

Inscriptions

Michel Fourmont Michel Fourmont (1690–1746) was a French antiquarian and classical scholar, Catholic priest and traveller. A member of the Académie des Inscriptions, he was one of the scholars sent by Louis XV to the eastern Mediterranean to collect inscription ...

, who visited Greece in the years 1729–1730, described a block of marble with an inscription that was found in the church of Panagia (All Saints) of Merenta. The inscription had been rendered illegible before being used in the church, but it was able to be reconstructed.

Front inscription

Left side inscription

In 1968, the block was removed and placed in the Epigraphical Museum of Athens. By 1972, the archaeologist Efthymios Mastrokostas discovered two marble statues in the tombs at Myrrhinous, a ''

kouros kouros ( grc, κοῦρος, , plural kouroi) is the modern term given to free-standing Ancient Greek sculptures that depict nude male youths. They first appear in the Archaic period in Greece and are prominent in Attica and Boeotia, with a les ...

'' and the Phrasikleia Kore. The two sculptures matched the inscription found on the blocks, discovered at the church of Panagia, located just 200 meters (660 ft) from where the statues were excavated. In the lower part of the statues an irregular ring of lead was discovered; based on this mass of lead a comparison was made between the statues and the block of marble. The comparison found that the lead ring fit perfectly onto the marble base securing the

plinth A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

of the kore, confirming the connection between the two. The Phrasikleia Kore and base were reunited after 25 years, and also confirmed that the statue had been made by the artist Aristion of Paros.Stieber, Mary C. The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. . p. 146. Before this reunion, Aristion of Paros had been known from a number of inscriptions, however a singular work had never been officially associated with him. The epigram found on the marble base that identified Ariston may be the earliest extant Attic example of a '' stoichedon'' inscription, a style of text where letters are evenly spaced and aligned vertically as well as horizontally. The statue is now in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and is displayed in Room 11, catalog number 4889.

Description

The statue is made of Parian marble, and stands 211 centimeters (6.92 ft) high; it rises on a pedestal 26 centimeters (10 in) high. As the inscription suggests, it depicts a young woman who died unmarried and therefore must be known forever as a maiden. She is standing erect and wearing a long chiton, decorated with flowers and

meanders A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex bank ...

. Around her waist she wears a girdle. The foreparts of her feet and sandals are visible. Her right arm hangs down and firmly holds onto her peplos. Her left arm is bent in front of her body and holds a still-unopened lotus flower. On her head she wears a garland of flowers, round about her neck a necklace, and on each arm a bracelet. Phrasikleia Kore Bust 2

Symbolism

According to Svenbro, the Phrasikleia Kore may be modeled after the Goddess Hestia. As defined in the ''Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite'', Hestia is explicitly referred to as ''koúrē'', who swears to remain a virgin forever. The hymn claims that Hestia was called upon by Zeus to be honored as a god, rather than to remain on earth to be married.Svenbro, Jesper. Phrasikleia: an anthropology of reading in ancient Greece. Cornell University Press, Ithaca 1993, . p. 19. Evidence may be seen when compared to the epigram on the Phrasikleia Kore; "''Kore'' (maiden) I must be called evermore; instead of marriage, by the Gods this name became my fate." Phrasikleia Kore Lotus Perfume jar

The lotus, which is repeated on the crown of the Phrasikleia Kore and held in her left hand, is an Egyptian funerary symbol used by the Greeks. It would have been customary to adorn the dead with a floral crown, like the one seen on the Phrasikleia Kore.Stieber, Mary C. The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004, . p. 171. The crown of lotuses worn by the statue may carry a double meaning: the round shape, with the spear-like lotus buds that make up the crown, may reference the gates of the underworld. The lotus is not only used on the crown, but also held in the hand of the ''kore''; it is thought to represent Phrasikleia: "plucked before it could bloom,"Stieber, Mary C. ''The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai''. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004, . p. 173. representing her status as a virgin and unmarried woman at the time of her death.

Function

The primary function of the Phrasikleia Kore was as a funerary statue or votive offering. In this case, Phrasikleia marked the grave of a girl who died unmarried. This is confirmed by the inscription on her pedestal, in addition to the symbolism of the jewelry, peplos, and the lotus flower used on the statue.Gods in Color, "Reconstruction of the Grave Statue of Phrasikleia, 2010." San Francisco: The Legion of Honor. Phrasikleia Kore 1

Polychromy

One reconstruction of the

on Phrasikleia Kore displays an impressive use of eleven different reds, yellows, black, and white pigments. The color of her skin alone uses a mixture of white lead, red ochre, and light brown umber to achieve a mimetic quality. In addition, the statue is embellished with gold and lead foil appliqués. A possible recreation of the statue has been made via the Brinkmann reconstruction reflecting the existing visible pigment remaining on the statue and with the assistance of technology such as ultraviolet-visual absorption spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence analysisClaridge, Amanda. "Looking for Colour on Greek and Roman Sculpture." ''Journal of Art Historiography'' number 5 (2011), p. 2. to detect traces of color, engravings and painted patterns, to recreate what the Phrasikleia Kore might have looked like before her burial in the 6th century BCE, according to one recreation. This recreation of the statue may be seen at the Gods in Color exhibit, which travels to major museums around the world.

Gallery

File:Kore of Phrasikleia from Merenda near Athens, ca. 540 BC, National Archaeological Museum of Athens.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore 02.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 04.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 06.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 08.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 09.jpg, alt= File:Statue of a Kore, Detail (3413644237).jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 02.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore 01.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 05.jpg, alt= File:Statue of a Kore (detail, feet) (3413639201).jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, detalle, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 02.jpg, alt= File:Phrasikleia Kore, detalle, Atenas, Grecia, 2019 01.jpg, alt=

Notes

Bibliography

Claridge, Amanda. "Looking for Colour on Greek and Roman Sculpture." ''Journal of Art Historiography'' number 5 (2011), 1-6. Fuchs, Werner; Floren, Josef (1987). ''Die griechische Plastik: Die geometrische und archaische Plastik''. Munich: C.H. Beck, p. 164. . Retrieved January 27, 2014. Gods in Color, "Reconstruction of the Grave Statue of Phrasikleia, 2010." The Legion of Honor, San Francisco, CA. Goette, Hans Rupprecht (2001). Athens, Attica, and the Megarid: An Archaeological Guide. London and New York: Routledge. p. 114. . "Inscriptiones Graecae I³ 1261". Searchable Greek Inscriptions. Retrieved January 27, 2014. From the Inscriptiones Graecae (IG) Osborne, Robin (1998). Archaic and Classical Greek Art. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. p. 84. Svenbro, Jesper. Phrasikleia: an anthropology of reading in ancient Greece. Cornell University Press, Ithaca 1993, (Extract on Google Books). Spivey, Nigel. "Art and Archaeology." Greece and Rome 52, no. 1 (2005): 118-20. Stieber, Mary C. The Poetics of Appearance in the Attic Korai. 1st ed. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2004. pp. 146–147. . Retrieved January 27, 2014. Vinzenz Brinkmann, Ulrike Koch-Brinkmann, Heinrich Piening. The Funerary Monument to Phrasikleia, in: Circumlitio. The Polychromy of Antique and Mediaeval Sculpture, Akten des Kolloquium Liebieghaus Frankfurt 2008, (Vinzenz Brinkmann, Oliver Primavesi,

Max Hollein Max Hollein (born 7 July 1969 in Vienna) is an Austrian art historian and the current Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. He served as Director and CEO of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco from July 2016, until Apri ...

, eds.), 2010, p. 188-217. (Stiftung Archäologie Electronic Resource).

External links

The colored reconstruction of Phrasikleia at the Liebieghaus
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National Archaeological Museum Athens; The Sculpture Collection
(NAMA № 4889)
Phrasikleia Kore on the Arachne web site

Copy of the inscription

- Polychrome Archaic Greek sculptures Art of ancient Attica Marble sculptures in Greece National Archaeological Museum, Athens 6th-century BC Greek sculptures Archaeological discoveries in Greece Sculptures in Athens Korai 1972 archaeological discoveries