A gift for Artemis

The statue stands in the tradition of East Greek female figures with a column-like structure. A long chiton, belted above the waist, whose folds are rendered in tight parallel grooves, completely covers the legs. The draped hem spreads out over the plinth and is only arched at the front to expose her feet. The folds of the himation, tied on the right side between shoulder and upper arm, are parted into two sections. One runs over the torso and is drawn under the left arm, and the other drapes down, both in front and behind the right arm, in long cascading folds. On top of these two garments, the woman also wears a thin, veil-like cloak, wrapped around twice, which once covered the head (now missing), and which falls in small pouf-like folds over the shoulders and down the back. The left end is tucked into the chiton’s wide belt at the front. One can imagine that the woman’s head looked rather like the girl’s head from Miletus in our collection. The reverse of the statue is covered by the flat surface of the cloak, beneath which the shape of the body can be discerned, deviating slightly from the rigid column-like form. The front of the statue gives play to the entire richness of the garment’s fine lines and gently rounded folds, over which the light skims, adding depth in the darkness of the grooves. The remains of red paint serve as a reminder that the statue was originally painted with braiding on the hems, belt and veil, such as we see preserved on a votive relief. Marble statues of richly clothed girls (Greek: korai) and naked youths (Greek: kouroi) were erected in the sanctuaries of the gods as votive offerings of great value. The elegance of a woman was conveyed by the richness of her clothing, and in this she also represents a social model. The partridge that the woman holds to her breast is a votive offering to the deity. A devotional inscription, usually found on the base or on the hem of the chiton itself that names the supplicant and the deity or the artist, has not been preserved here. We can conclude from the site of the find, however, that the statue was erected in the sanctuary of Artemis Kithone on the eastern hillside of Kalabak Tepe in Miletus in honour of the fertility goddess, in whose celebrations women and girls partook. After the destruction of Miletus by the Persians, the damaged votive offering was sealed away behind a wall of bricks in the sanctuary as the property of the deity.