Object Description
Ca. Late 4th-3rd Century BC
Terracotta statuette of a goddess, likely Aphrodite, leaning on a pillar. Her hair is pulled back into a bun, with framing locks around the forehead and an idealised face. Her left arm is resting on a pillar, right arm is on the hip, which is angled outwards to give the figure a sense of contrapposto. This flowing pose is emphasised by the projecting left leg, which peeks out of naturalistic drapery that falls from the waist.
The goddess’s pose and nudity are likely to have been influenced by Praxiteles’ statue of Aphrodite at Knidos, sculpted in Ca. 350 BC and one of the first life-size depictions of the nude female form in Greek history. The choice to depict the goddess nude in this statuette may also emphasise her sensuality. For similar see Getty Villa, Object number, 55.AD.7.
Size: H: 228mm / W: 71mm ; 572g