Archaic Corinthian Terracotta Statuette of a Seated Goddess

Culture: Greek/Corinthian

Period: 6th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 11.5 cm high

Price: 2 600 Euro

Ref: 2670

Provenance: Collection of Edith Hafter-Kottmann (1909-1997), Solothurn, Switzerland. Most recently in the German art trade.

Condition: Right and left arms were professionally and almost invisibly reattached. The garment was broken approximately at the centre front and rejoined without loss.

Description: Archaic terracotta statuette of a seated goddess, probably Demeter, from the temple at Solygeia, about 11 kilometres east of Corinth. The elongated face shows typical almond-shaped eyes, a pronounced nose, and a small, smiling mouth. The goddess wears a cylindrical polos, beneath which wavy hair appears on the forehead. Long locks fall onto her shoulders at the sides. At the back, the hair is accentuated with paint. The plank-shaped body is strongly stylised. Long breast- and belly jewellery hang over the upper body, held at the shoulders by two disc-shaped brooches. The pointed arms extend horizontally forward. The goddess wears a long red garment that completely covers the legs, swings forward, and serves as a third, overwide support. At the back, the weight of the statuette rests on the two slightly spread legs of the throne, which seem to grow out of the body itself. Seated statuettes, such as this one, were dedicated as votive offerings in temples throughout the Peloponnese during the Archaic period. Examples from Argos, Tiryns, Prosymna, Tegea, and Nemea feature bird-like faces but similar chest ornaments; those from Solygeia, in contrast, display naturalistic human faces. Researchers mostly identify them as Demeter, occasionally as Hera. For discussion of the seated goddesses of the northeastern Peloponnese in the Archaic period, see Signe Barfoed, “The Mystery of the Seated Goddess: Archaic Terracotta Figurines of the Northeastern Peloponnese,” in Vessels and Variety: New Aspects of Ancient Pottery, Copenhagen 2013, pp. 85-105. See for the statuettes from Solygeia also the examples in the Archaeological Museum in Corinth.