Head of the goddess Hygieia (NAMA 3602)

The head of Hygieia in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens with inventory number 3602 is dated to the third quarter of the 4th century BC. Dated.

The statue was found in Tegea during French excavations in 1900 or 1901 . It was made of marble and has a height of 0.285 m. Apart from the fact that large areas of age-related wear and tear can be seen, the head is completely intact. Possibly the head belonged to a statue, but this point of view is not subject to consensus in research. The naming as Hygieia, the goddess of health and patron saint of pharmacists, is not undisputed. There is broad agreement on the attribution of the work to the famous late classical sculptor Skopas . The head is generally considered to be one of the best original works from the late Classical period and is dated to the third quarter of the 4th century BC. Dated.

The head ends in a short, narrow neck. It's turned slightly to the right. The lips are slightly parted. All parts of the head merge smoothly, there are no sharp breaks. The gracefulness of the divine oval face is supported by the finely crafted hairstyle. The hair is carefully combed back and gathered in a thick bun on the back of the head. This also leaves the neck free. The head acts like a symbol of grace and beauty and thus ranks among the important works of classical Greek art.

literature

• Nikolaos Kaltsas : Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens . The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles 2002, ISBN 0-89236-686-9 , p. 257.

Web links

• Head of a woman, so-called Hygieia in the Arachne archaeological database