Collection

Young Female Attendant, c. 340–330 B.C.

Greek


This sculpture is probably one of a group of votary figures that originally accompanied the statue of a goddess. Although it dates from a century later than the maidens from the famous frieze of the Parthenon, it shares their ceremonious and solemn air. New, however, are the ease and languid grace—qualities introduced into Greek sculpture by fourth-century-B.C. masters such as Praxiteles and Lysippos. The gown, held close to the body by a cord at the shoulder and waist, falls in soft folds over the weight-bearing right leg while revealing the flexed left leg underneath. Corresponding to similar objects preserved on funerary monuments, the jewelry box may have been intended as an offering to the deity.

Though carved in the round, the figure is less finished in the back— where the rough chisel marks left by the artist are still evident—indicating that it was intended to be viewed from the front.

Provenance

Provenance

(Elie Borowski [1913-2003], Basel, Switzerland);

purchased by Kimbell Art Foundation, Fort Worth, 1972.