Jewelry on Korai

Ornaments on archaic sculpture in the Acropolis Musem

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Jewelry played a significant role in the decoration of Korai statues, serving both aesthetic and symbolic purposes. Whether it's headbands, diadems, earrings or bracelets, these decorations helps us understand the fashion trends and cultural significance in ancient Greece.

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When looking at, Korai statues, here's some useful keywords that help describing them: the chiton, a long tunic, the himation was a mantle often worn over the chiton, and the epiblema which was worn over the head. 

Detail of Kore 684Acropolis Museum

Kore 684

Dressed in layers with three different garments once decorated with painted motifs. Underneath she wears a long chiton and over this a short himation and an epiblema which falls over her shoulders and back, and folds over her right hand,  made from a separate piece of marble.

Kore 684

Circular earrings with painted rosettes

674 Kore with Almond-Shaped EyesAcropolis Museum

Kore Acr. 674 Kore with Almond-Shaped Eyes

Her features are highlighted with colour. She wears a long-sleeved chiton, with a short himation thrown over the top, which passes obliquely under the left arm, while secured on the right with small relief buttons. Her garments were richly decorated with painted rosettes

Kore Acr. 674

She wears earrings decorated with red rosettes on a light blue background.

Kore Wearing a Chiton, Acr. 670Acropolis Museum

Kore Wearing a Chiton, Acr. 670

The Kore with the slanting eyes and the intense smile is not one of the most characteristic Korai found on the Acropolis. Unlike the rest of the Korai she is dressed in only a chiton tighten around the waist with a belt that forms rich folds and flows to her legs

Kore Wearing a Chiton, Acr. 670

On her head she wears a stephane with painted palmettes spirals and lotus flowers.

Detail of bracelet - Kore 670Acropolis Museum

Kore Acr. 670

On her left wrist a bracelet in the form of a snake rendered in relief.  

Kore 680Acropolis Museum

Kore Acr. 680 The "Kore with a quince"

Dressed in a chiton with long sleeves and a short himation on top.
She holds a quince, her offering to the goddess while with her left she pulls her chiton aside to facilitate her step.  

Kore Acr. 680

Her hair is decorated with a stephane. In her ears are disc-shaped earrings with rosettes consisting of white and light-colored petals on a dark ground.

Kore 679 "Peplo Kore"Acropolis Museum

Kore 679

named the "Peplos Kore" due to the garment she wears – the peplos. The peplos was fastened in the middle with a belt and on the shoulders with bronze pins.

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Archaic korai

For more information about the Acropolis Museum's korai:
https://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/en/explore-collections.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.

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