22.5 Inches High x 10.5 Inches Wide x 10 Inches Deep The original, life-size statue from which this bust was cast shows Demeter seated on a throne. It was located in the Sanctuary of Demeter at Knidos which was a Greek island and city in modern-day Turkey. The sanctuary was built at around the same time as the re-founding of the city, circa 350 B.C.E. Demeter is the Greek goddess of agriculture and fertility, and is also associated with the Underworld.The goddess is typically depicted as a modest, matronly figure, as she is in the full sculpture. Her head is turned slightly to her left, and she wears a himation (a wrap) that also covers the back of her head. Her curls cascade from behind her ears onto her shoulders and chest. There is an apparent line of separation at the details carved at the collarbone area, and this can be attributed to the head and body being carved from separate pieces of marble. The head is simply placed in a socket at the neck.As a whole, the statue of Demeter has been very well preserved and is an excellent example of Hellenistic Greek sculpture. There is damage to her face – on her mouth, chin, and nose – but we have restored the nose in our cast in keeping with some historic casts of this bust. Although Demeter’s lower arms and hands have been lost, it is thought that she would have been holding a libation bowl or a torch. The arms of the throne are missing as well, as is the back of it. In addition, her feet are missing and there is damage to her knees and right calf. Scholars have attributed this statue to the Athenian sculptor Leochares, who is also the attribution for such masterpieces as the Apollo Belvedere and the Diana of Versailles. Artist: Attributed to Leochares Museum: British Museum, London Time Period: Ancient Greek, circa 350 B.C.E. 1911 Catalog ID # - 4025 Sources: Collins, Neil. "Leochares." Art Encyclopedia. Visual-arts-cork.com, 2022, http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/sculpture/leochares.htm. "Demeter of Knidos." Cornell University Library Digital Collections, https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:946106. "Demeter of Knidos." Museum of Classical Archaeology Databases. University of Cambridge, UK, https://museum.classics.cam.ac.uk/collections/casts/demeter-knidos. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Demeter." Encyclopædia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Demeter. "Head of Demeter of Knidos." Cornell University Library Digital Collections, https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/ss:2577536. "Marble statue of Demeter." Google Arts & Culture, https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/marble-statue-of-demeter/iAGScv9ZxUJAJA?hl=en. "Statue." Museum number 1859,1226.26. British Museum, https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/G_1859-1226-26.
