Statuette of a Goddess

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

600-580 BCE

Greek; Boeotia

This terracotta sculpture was fashioned from locally abundant clay in Boeotia, situated to the northwest of Athens. The standing female wears a tall headdress and a painted necklace with a pomegranate pendant, which suggests that she depicts either Demeter or Persephone, goddesses of the harvest and agricultural fertility, respectively. Statuettes like this one were created in great numbers, probably as gifts to the gods or to be placed in graves.

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture: Ancient Greek
Title: Statuette of a Goddess
Place: Dhodhóni (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: 600 BCE–580 BCE
Medium: terracotta
Dimensions: 18.2 × 7.7 × 6.8 cm (7 3/16 × 3 1/16 × 2 11/16 in.)
Credit Line: George W. Sheldon Fund
Reference Number: 1924.1055
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/13981/manifest.json

Art Institute of Chicago, The Human Figure in Early Greek Art, A Preview, Part One, Gallery 101A, September 1, 1988 – May 24, 1989.
Art Institute of Chicago, Of Gods and Glamour: The Mary and Michael Jaharis Galleries of Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Art, Gallery 151, November 11, 2012-March 28, 2018.

George Vomvilas; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1924.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.