Marble grave stele of a little girl

Unknown

ca. 450–440 BCE · Marble, Parian · Greek and Roman Art

The gentle gravity of this child is beautifully expressed through her sweet farewell to her pet doves. Her peplos is unbelted and falls open at the side, while the folds of drapery clearly reveal her stance. Many of the most skillful stone carvers came from the Cycladic Islands, where marble was plentiful. The sculptor of this stele could have been among the artists who congregated in Athens during the third quarter of the fifth century B.C. to decorate the Parthenon.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 450–440 BCE

Medium

Marble, Parian

Culture

Greek

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1927