Dedicatory statues of maidens, presented as draped standing figures, were popular votive offerings on the Athenian Acropolis for about a century, from 570 to 480 BCE. Known as korai, they reflected the wealth and prestige of families who offered them. Nothing is known of the girl represented here apart from a Greek inscription on the base of the column capital on which she stood, which translates as ‘Euthydikos, son of Thaliarchos, dedicated me’.
This kore is smaller than life size, with rounded narrow shoulders and soft breasts, and the skirt is pulled to one side by her left hand. Her right forearm is missing but she may have held an offering: korai often held fruit or flowers as a symbol of their virginity.
