Kore (sculpture)

Kore (Greek: κόρη "maiden"; plural korai) is the name given to a type of free-standing ancient Greek sculpture of the Archaic period depicting female figures, always of a young age.

Kouroi are the youthful male equivalent of Kore statues. They both show the restrained "archaic smile", but — unlike the nude kouroi — korai are depicted in thick drapery, ornate and (in painted examples) very colorful and often have elaborate braided hairstyles.

There are multiple theories on who they represent, and as to whether they represent mortals or deities. One theory is that they represent Persephone, the daughter in the triad of the Mother Goddess cults or votary figures to attend the maiden goddess.

They also often have a much more relaxed and natural posture, sometimes with an extended arm. Some, but perhaps not all, korai were painted, with colorful drapery and their skin possessing a natural coloring.

Such statues existed in many cities of Greece, but most important are the fourteen statues making up the Korai of the Acropolis of Athens that were found east of the Parthenon in 1886. These statues were set particularly on round bases and were outdoor-exposed. When the Persians burned the Acropolis in 480 BC, they threw them from their bases, but some survived, and are hosted now in the Acropolis Museum. Some of them represented priestesses, while others were more simple, represented female figures and were dedicated to the goddess Athena. They have smiling faces, complicated hairdressing and island-type dressing, Ionic style, their left hands holding their chiton while their right hands are holding a flower, fruit or bird. Their hair, along with some other characteristics and the folds of their clothing, were colored.

Dominant color was the red for the lips and hair, red and blue for the clothes, and black for the eyes. The kores wore many colored jewels, indicating the brightness of their dressing. Thus they symbolized the elegant, dressy Athenian of the 6th century BC.

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