A caryatid is a sculpted female figure serving as an architectural support taking the place of a column or a pillar supporting an entablature on her head. The Greek term karyatides literally means "maidens of Karyai", an ancient town on the Peloponnese. Karyai had a temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis in her aspect of Artemis Karyatis: "As Karyatis she rejoiced in the dances of the nut-tree village of Karyai, those Karyatides, who in their ecstatic round-dance carried on their heads baskets of live reeds, as if they were dancing plants". A caryatid supporting a basket on her head is called a canephora ("basket-bearer"), representing one of the maidens who carried sacred objects used at feasts of the goddesses Athena and Artemis. The most celebrated example is the caryatid porch of the Erechtheum with six figures (420–415 BC), on the Acropolis of Athens.
Please be aware that, due to the fact that our products are either individually cast, carved, hand painted and hand finished, there will inevitably be minor variations in size, color and texture.
Details:
Condition: New, Handmade in Greece
Material: Casting stone
Height: 26 cm(10.2 inches)
Width: 6 cm(2.4 inches)
Weight: 450 g
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