Stone head of young woman
Γ383
Stone (Poros stone)
Major chipping to nose and hair, scattered minor chipping and weathered skin
Height: 16. 2 cm. Width: 11.5 cm.
Axos
Sanctuary of "Aphrodite" on east slope of Axos hill
Archaic period:
580-570 BC:
Gallery:
XVIIExhibition thematic unit:
Geometric - Archaic - Classical period (10th - 4th c. BC). The Sanctuaries. From Minoan cult to the amalgamation of religious beliefsSanctuaries
Description
Head and neck of a sculpture, probably of a young woman, smaller than life-size and turned three-quarters to the right. The well-formed face with a low forehead, large almond-shaped eyes and small mouth with full lips is crowned with elaborate spiral curls and framed by long locks. The hair is secured by a headband tied at the back and decorated with relief rosettes. The careless working of the details on the right side and back indicate that these were not visible due to the turn of the head. Traces of a support at bottom right and a fracture in the dome of the skull support the hypothesis that the sculpture formed part of a decorative composition in high relief, probably from the pediment of a temple, rather than being a free-standing statue. Despite its small size, the expressive features and wealth of added details place the head in the creative aftermath of Daedalic art in Crete, while it is simultaneously a forerunner of mature Archaic glyptic, better known from the Attic kouroi.Bibliography:
F. Halbherr, "Lavori eseguiti in Creta dalla Missione Archeologica Italiana dal 9 giugno al 9 novembre 1899", Atti dell’Accademia nazionale dei Lincei: Rendiconti 8, 525-40. S. Alexiou, "Tête archaïque en poros du Musée de Candie", Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 76 (1952), 1-17. L. Adams, Orientalising Sculpture in Soft Limestone from Crete and Mainland Greece, London 1978, 80-85. G. Aversa - M.C. Monaco, "Όαξος. Νέα στοιχεία και παρατηρήσεις για τις ιταλικές ανασκαφές του 1899", Πεπραγμένα του Θ΄ Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου, Ελούντα 1-6 Οκτωβρίου 2001, vol. Α5, Heraklion 2006, 43-54, esp. 49, fig. 2. Ε. Tegou, "Αναζητώντας τα ίχνη ενός δημιουργού", Πεπραγμένα 12ου Διεθνούς Κρητολογικού Συνεδρίου, Ηράκλειο 21-25.9.2016, Heraklion 2019, 1-12.Author:
K. S.Photographs' metadata