Half-length statue of a young woman or a goddess (possibly Aphrodite)

Among the terracotta figurines from the small town of Priene this half-length statue stands out as one of the highest quality clay figurines of antiquity ever found. Unusual for statuettes is the above-average size and the fact that it was not formed from a model but was sculpted freehand. Only small traces of the original rich colours of white, golden yellow and dark red-brown tones can still be seen in a few places, for instance, on the wide hem of the V-necked sleeveless chiton and on her necklace and hair.
The sculptor (koroplast) managed to create a very effective contrast between the smooth bare skin of the arms held close by her side, the neck with its ‘Venus rings’ and her full face on the one hand, and the fine, crinkled folds of the chiton, fastened with a belt under the breasts, on the other. Distinctive accents, which were no doubt emphasised even more strongly by the original colouring, are made by her jewellery: the two rows of the necklace; a button, small remnants of which have survived in the corner of her garment where it meets between the breasts; the clasps fastening her garment at the shoulders as well as the earrings and hair tie. The rigid frontal posture of the body is softened by the position of the neck, which leans forward to the right, and the slight turn of the head to the left.
Less certain is who the figure was meant to represent and what its function was. Most excavators and other researchers have simply described her as a girl or young woman. The site where the figure was found is in the immediate vicinity of the Athena temple. The building, situated on a steep, stepped laneway southwest of the temple, has been interpreted as a shop where votive offerings were sold. According to this theory, our statuette may well have been a devotional offering dedicated to Athena. However, a recent plausible suggestion proposes that she represents Aphrodite. Arguments in favour of this are the earrings that possibly symbolise Cupid, and the presumption that the alleged shop was more of a local meetinghouse used for cult practices in which Dionysus and Aphrodite were worshipped. The dating results from a destruction layer where coins were found during excavation which clearly puts the building and its contents in the period before 135 BCE, while the upper time limit can be estimated through comparisons of style and type.