• Marble statue of Aphrodite in the Aphrodite of the Gardens type



Marble statue of Aphrodite in the Aphrodite of the Gardens type
Marble statue of Aphrodite in the Aphrodite of the Gardens type

Marble statue of Aphrodite in the Aphrodite of the Gardens type

Γ34
Stone (White, probably Parian marble)
Headless, arms broken at forearm height and legs broken from knees down. Major chipping to left thigh, neck mended.
Preserved Height: 99.5 cm. Preserved Width.: 62 cm. Preserved Thickness: 26 cm.
Gortyn
Temple of Pythian Apollo
Roman period:
130-150 AD:
Gallery:
XXVII
Case:
Not in case
Exhibition thematic unit:
Sculpture. Hellenistic period (3rd-2nd c. BC) Roman period (1st c. BC-3rd c. AD)
Statues of gods
Description
Headless, life-size statue of the “Aphrodite of the Gardens” type. This is the most faithful and best-quality known copy of a famous sculpture, attributed in the sources to Alcamenes. It was erected in circa 420-410 BC in the sanctuary of the same name in Athens. The product of an Attic workshop, the statue depicts the goddess wearing a fine, sleeved chiton (tunic) pinned on the left shoulder, and leaning on a small pillar in a relaxed pose, right leg fixed and left leg comfortably extended diagonally forward. Her left arm was bent at the elbow, raised hand holding an unidentified object, perhaps an apple, the movement revealing her tender shoulder, while her right hand was extended in the same direction that her head – now lost – was turned in. The rich drapery is very delicately and expressively rendered, particularly the apoptygma overfold under the breast and the pleated himation (mantle) which almost completely covers the pillar, its deep folds forming a play of light and shadow. The surfaces are carefully smoothed to an almost translucent polish, although the back of the sculpture is more roughly worked. There are traces of red paint on the right sleeve of the chiton.
Bibliography:
F. Halbherr, "Relazione sugli scavi di Apollo Pythion", in Monumenti Antichi I (1890), 74, n. 19. L. Savignoni, "Il Pythion di Gortina", in Monumenti Antichi XVIII (1907), 264ff., fig. 38. A. Delivorrias, "Die Kultstatue der Aphrodite von Daphni", in Antike Plastik VIII (1968), 21, n. 15. Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae II (1984), entry Aphrodite, 31, n. 195 (A. Delivorrias). P. Karanastasis, "Untersuchungen zur kaiserzeitlichen Plastik in Griechenland, 1. Kopien, Varianten und Umbildungen nach Aphrodite-Typen des 5. Jhs. v. Chr. ", Athenischen Mitteilungen 101 (1986), 261–4, 290–1, no. AII 1, pl. 69. I. Romeo, "Sull’ “Afrodite nei giardini” di Alcamene", Xenia Antiqua 2 (1993), 31–44. I. Romeo - E.C. Portale, Gortina, III: le sculture, Padua 1998, 85–8, no. 11, pls iv, c–d και v, a–c. P. Karanastasis, "Roman imperial sculpture from Crete: a reappraisal", in J.E. Francis - A. Kouremenos, Roman Crete: New Perspectives, Oxford 2016, 103, fig. 8.2.
Author:
K. S.


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