FEMALE HEAD FROM A FUNERARY STATUE
Classification
Date
early 20th century
Period
Material
Iconography
Production place
Inventory
Ag.414
ID
Hyp-7112
References
The head in Athens, which was carved of a separate block of marble, belonged to a statue, but no cast was made of the body. The statue shows a female figure seated on a rock that once decorated a grave. It is unfinished: it was completely carved, but the surface was not polished. The locks of hair are summarily modelled, too. The statue was found on Rheneia near Delos. Delos was one of the most sacred places in Greek culture, tradition held it to be the birthplace of Artemis and Apollon, the children of the goddess Leto. It was forbidden by law to bury the dead on Delos, the cemeteries were thus built on the neighbouring island, Rheneia.
