Ancient Greek
Caryatids
c. 421–406 BC
The Caryatid Porch of the Erechtheion, built on the Athenian Acropolis between 421 and 406 BC, replaces traditional columns with six sculpted figures of young women who support the roof with baskets balanced on their heads. Carved in Pentelic marble, the standing poses subtly alternate — with the weight resting on a different leg in each figure — so that the drapery falls in gently contrasting folds and the static column becomes a dignified procession. Five of the original Caryatids are now preserved inside the Acropolis Museum; the sixth is in the British Museum. A modern replica stands in the original position of the temple.
Exhibition Venue
Image source: Wikimedia Commons