A ROMAN MARBLE FIGURE OF A WOMAN

CIRCA 2ND CENTURY A.D.

Details

A ROMAN MARBLE FIGURE OF A WOMAN
circa 2nd century a.d.
Standing with her weight on her left leg, her right leg bent at the knee, wearing a heavy peplos with long overfold and a mantle over the shoulders, a large fold over the raised right arm, a mass of folds over the lowered left, with tendrils of hair falling on to each shoulder
35 in. (88.9 cm.) high

Provenance

Gift of Dr. Griffith, 1847

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Lot Essay

The pose and drapery of this sculpture recall the famous group of Eirene holding the infant Ploutos, sculpted by Kephisodotos in Athens circa 360-359 B.C. The work is recognized in several Roman copies, including the example in the Metropolitan Museum, pl. 62 in Ridgway, Fourth-Century Styles in Greek Sculpture.

The donation of this sculpture in 1847 to the Pennsylvania Academy makes this one of the earliest ancient sculptures to enter an institutional collection in United States history. An even earlier acquisition, a colossal statue of Ceres presented to the Academy in 1828, originally stood above the main door.