CC21: Hera

Plaster cast, Ministry of Culture Casts and Reproductions, Greece, 1988

Purchased, 1996

Dimensions: H 30cm
Acc #: CC21, James Logie Memorial Collection

Copy of a marble head of Hera from the Argive Heraion, c. 420 BC
Found at the Argive Heraion, Argos
National Archaeological Museum, Athens, #: 1571

Style

This head of a woman, believed to be the goddess Hera, is Classical style, indicated by the naturallistic treatment of the hair, facial features, and calm expression. Also characteristic of this style is the detailed treatment of the centrally-parted wavy hair that is bound with a filet and gathered at the back. The head is approximately life-size, and is known to be of the school of the sculptor Polykleitos, who was from Argos.

History

Hera was the patron goddess of the city of Argos, where a sanctuary and temple, the Argive Heraion, was dedicated to her in the eighth century BC. The sanctuary was of major religious and political importance in the Classical Period. This head was dedicated to Hera at her temple. The temple was burned in 423 BC.

Like many of the other Logie casts, Hera features light pink tinting, particularly around her ears, which may been intended to imitate the ancient custom of painting sculpture.

Further Reading

A short selection of references for this work includes:

• Burnett Grossman, Janet. 2003. Looking at Greek and Roman Sculpture in Stone: A Guide to Terms, Styles, and Techniques. Los Angeles: Getty Publications
• Davidson Reid, Jane. 1993. The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s. Oxford: University Press
• Greek Ministry of Culture. 1988. Catalogue of Casts and Reproductions. Athens: Archaeological Receipts Fund
• Kaltsas, Nikolaos. 2002. Sculpture in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens. Los Angeles: Getty Publications
• Spivey, Nigel. 1996. Understanding Greek Sculpture. London: Thames and Hudson
• Stewart, Andrew. 2008. “The Persian and Carthaginian Invasions of 480 BCE. and the Beginning of the Classical Style: Part 1, The Stratigraphy, Chronology, and Significance of the Acropolis Deposits,” American Journal of Archaeology, 112, 377-412
• Stillwell, Richard, William L. McDonald, and Marian Holland McAllister. 1976. The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. New Jersey: Princeton University Press