Marble head of a woman wearing diadem and veil
Unknown Artist
425–400 BCE
Medium
Marble
Dimensions
H.: 6 7/8 x 5 x 5 3/4 in. (17.5 x 12.7 x 14.6 cm)
Classification
Stone Sculpture
Culture & Period
Greek · Classical
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Ex coll.: George L. Hern Jr., Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William Henry Told Jr., on the occasion of the reinstallation of the Greek and Roman galleries, 2007
Accession Number
2007.328
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite marble head of a woman dating to the Classical Greek period (425–400 BCE), the serene ideal of feminine beauty revered in ancient Athens. Carved from fine white marble, the sculpture measures just under 7 inches high, it may have adorned a larger statue, such as a votive offering or funerary monument. The woman wears a diadem—a jeweled headband symbol divinity or nobility—and a delicate veil draped over her hair, evoking modesty and grace typical of depictions of goddesses like Hera or dignified mortal women. In the Classical era, Greek sculptors mastered marble carving techniq...