- Kore (sculpture)
Kore (Greek - Κόρη - maiden; plural korai) is the name given to a type of
ancient Greek sculpture of the Archaic period.There are multiple theories on who they represent, and as to whether they represent mortals or deities - one theory is that they represent
Persephone the daughter in the triad of the Mother Goddess cults or votary figures to attend the maiden goddess.Fact|date=November 2007Kouroi are the youthful male equivalent of Kore statues. They both show the restrained "
archaic smile ", but - unlike the nude kouroi - korai are depicted in thick drapery, ornate and (in painted examples) very colorful and often have elaborate braided hairdos. (Some of the hair styles of the statues are quite Egyptian and Minoan in style and often resembling the hairstyle of theGorgon .Fact|date=November 2007) They also often have a much more relaxed and natural posture, sometimes with an extended arm. Some, but perhaps not all, korai were painted, with colourful drapery and their skin having a natural coloring.The "Peplos Kore" ("left") dates from 530-520 BC. It was found in
Athens and is in the collection of theAcropolis Museum inAthens . Some argue that this statue represents the goddess Athene.Fact|date=November 2007 Another well-known example of a Kore statue is the "Lady of Auxerre " at theLouvre , though this is from theDaedalic style of Cretan art and so is not typical of the kore type as a whole.External links
* [http://www.ancient-greece.org/art/korai.html Korai] - Ancient-Greece.org
* [http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/Kore.htm Gallery] - Mlahanas.de
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