Lecture 10: Freestanding Athenian sculpture in the Archaic period: kouroi and korai

Kouros from Sounion, circa 600-590 BC, height: 3.05 metres, Athens National Archaeological Museum.

Beginning a little before 600 BC and continuing to circa 490 BC, Greek sculptors produced a series of freestanding stone (usually marble) figures of kouroi (sing: kouros) and korai (sing: kore), representing male and female youths. Idealised and stylised in their form, the kouroi and korai statues are essentially symmetrical, frontal figures. While the kouros is naked and steps forward with his left foot, the kore is clothed and generally stands with her feet together. The kouroi functioned variously as grave markers and votive dedications to the gods, and may also have served to represent the god Apollo. The korai also served as votive dedications to the gods, though in Attica were infrequently used as grave markers.

Many of the early kouroi were made on a colossal scale: the Sounion kouros (above) stands 3.05 metres tall, while others measuring up to 6 metres in height are known.

New York kouros, from Attica, circa 600-580 BC, height: 1.84 metres, Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Egyptian stylistic influence is noticeable in the kouros figures of the early sixth century BC, though there are also important differences between the Egyptian and Greek sculptures. While Egyptian figures wear a kilt and are never cut completely free of the block of stone out of which they were created, the Greek kouroi are totally nude and completely freestanding.

Characteristic features of the early kouroi are the long face, wide almond eyes, elaborate wig-like hair and a superficial treatment of the anatomy. 

The Moscophoros or Calf Bearer from the Athenian acropolis, circa 570-560 BC, height: 1.67 metres, Athens Acropolis Museum.

The Moscophoros, dedicated on the Athenian acropolis according to an accompanying inscription by one Rhombos, represents not a young naked kouros figure but an older bearded and draped man carrying a calf on his shoulders as an offering to the gods. Note the hollow eyes which would originally have been inlaid with glass paste and/or semi-precious stones. Note the figure's "Archaic smile", a facial expression which becomes characteristic of the kouros and kore from the second quarter of the sixth century.

The Rampin Horseman from the Athenian acropolis, circa 550 BC, surviving height: 81.5 centimetres, Athens Acropolis Museum and Paris Louvre. 

Sculptural votive dedications of the Archaic period also include equestrian figures such as the Rampin Horseman from the acropolis. The leafy wreath crowning the rider's head suggests victory in equestrian competition.

Kouros from Anavyssos in Attica, circa 530 BC, height: 1.94 metres, Athens National Archaeological Museum.

The Anavyssos kouros functioned as a grave marker, and carried a Greek inscription which can be translated as: "Stand and show pity at the tomb of Kroisos, whom furious Ares killed when he stood fighting in the front rank."

As the sixth century progressed, the kouros form changes: colossal figures all but disappear, the face loses its elongated appearance, the eyes lose their wide almond shape, the proportions of the body fill out and the anatomical features are now treated with reference to the bones and muscle lying beneath the skin.

Aristodikos kouros from Attica, circa 500 BC, height: 1-95 metres, Athens National Archaeological Museum.

This kouros functioned as a grave marker for Aristodikos, whose name is carved on the statue base. With this figure, the kouros type has almost reached the end of its development - though still essentially symmetrical and frontal, the Aristodikos figure stretches the limitations of the kouros. The arms are now raised away from the body and were originally supported at wrist level by struts attached to the upper thighs. A holistic approach is now taken to the representation of the anatomy, with the well-muscled body treated as an integrated unit, contributing to a sense of movement in the figure. Note also by the late sixth century that the elaborate long-haired coiffure has given way to a shorter style which does not divert the viewer's attention with elaborate detail.

Piraeus bronze Apollo, circa 530-510 BC, height: 1.92 metres, Piraeus Archaeological Museen.

The Piraeus kouros is a bronze figure, created in the hollow-cast technique of bronze-working which was introduced in the second half of the sixth century BC. Most likely created circa 530-510 BC, there is a possibility that it may alternatively be a later copy of an original Archaic statue. The figure held an object in each hand, perhaps a bow and a phiale (for libations), and has been tentatively identified as Apollo. Note that the figure steps forward with his right foot.

"The Berlin Goddess" from Keratea in Attica, circa 575 BC, height approximately 2 metres, Staatliche Museum Berlin.

"The Berlin Goddess" is one of the early surviving kore figures. She is reported to have been found in the Attic countryside wrapped in lead sheeting and buried, perhaps to escape enemy destruction. This special treatment, together with her high polos headdress, probably indicates her identity as a goddess. She holds a pomegranate in her right hand.

Kouros and the kore Phrasikleia under excavation at Merenda in Attica, circa 550 BC, height: 1.89 metres and 1.76 metres respectively, Athens National Archaeological Museum.

An inscribed base which belongs with the kore identifies the statue as the grave marker of Phrasikleia, while the sculptor is named as Aristion of Paros. The figure wears elaborately decorated garments, incised and originally painted with patterns, and sports a diadem and necklace of lotus buds and flowers. This is one of only two or three korai from Attica known to have been used as tomb markers.

Left: Peplos kore from the Athenian acropolis, circa 530 BC, height 1.17 metres, Athens Acropolis Museum. Right Coloured restoration of the Peplos kore.

Korai statues provided ample artistic opportunities for the addition of colourful decoration and metal accessories. Patterned garments, hair, eyes and lips were picked out with bright colours, and metal necklaces and earrings were also often added. Note that in order to avoid wastage of costly marble, the Peplos kore's extended lower arm was added separately. The little bronze umbrella (meniskos) seen over the kore's head in the restoration was employed as common protection against birds for statues erected in the open. 

Acropolis kore 675, circa 520-510 BC, height: 55 centimetres. Athens Acropolis Museum. 

In the mid sixth century a new sculptural treatment of female draperies was introduced to Athens from Ionia/East Greece. Korai now wear the light chiton underneath a himation, rather than the heavier peplos. The lighter fabric of the chiton allowed the depiction of intricate and ornate drapery folds, while the skirt was often gathered and held to one side by the sculpted girl to pull the folds tightly around her buttocks and legs, thus outlining the form of the body beneath the cloth.