Peplos Kore
An Archaic Greek marble statue of a young woman wearing a peplos garment, dated to around 530 BCE and found on the Athenian Acropolis
The Meaning of Peplos Kore
The Peplos Kore is one of the most celebrated examples of Archaic Greek sculpture. Discovered in 1886 among the debris buried on the Athenian Acropolis after the Persian sack of 480 BCE, the statue depicts a young woman standing in a formal frontal pose with the characteristic Archaic smile. She wears a heavy woollen garment called a peplos, belted at the waist, which gives the statue its modern name. Unlike other korai from the Acropolis who wear elaborate Ionic dress with fine pleats, the Peplos Kore's simpler garment creates bold, smooth surfaces that emphasise the sculptural form beneath. Traces of paint indicate that the statue was once richly coloured — her garment was painted with elaborate patterns, her hair was dark, and her eyes and lips were highlighted. Some scholars have identified her as the goddess Athena rather than a mortal maiden, based on the remains of a metal attachment in her left hand that may have held a spear or attribute. She now stands in the Acropolis Museum in Athens as a masterpiece of late Archaic art.
Parents
None recorded
Symbols
Fun Fact
Traces of vivid paint on the statue reveal that ancient Greek sculptures were not the plain white marble we imagine but brilliantly coloured
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