CIRCA 1ST CENTURY A.D.

This fine draped figure of a woman is of a type today known as the "large Herculaneum Woman." The name comes from three marble statues of draped women that were found by workers digging a well in Resina, Italy in 1711. This excavation would eventually lead to the discovery of the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum. Two of the statues found at Herculaneum, the large, and a smaller one, may be based on Greek originals of the 4th century B.C. depicting Demeter and Kore. The type was extremely popular during the Roman period, especially for portraiture. For the statues discovered at Herculaneum, now in Dresden, see p. 148-149, figs. 664-672 in Bieber, Ancient Copies, Contributions to The History of Greek and Roman Art.