Townley Caryatid
The Townley Caryatid is a 2.25m high
Ceres, due to the cereal motifs on her modius headdress
).
It dates to the Roman era, between 140 and 160 AD, and is in the
Via Appia owned by Regilla, wife of the Greek magnate and philosopher Herodes Atticus. This sanctuary was probably dedicated to Demeter. A fragmentary caryatid from the series, now in the Villa Albani
, Rome, is signed by the otherwise unknown Athenian sculptors Kriton and Nikolaos.
It was acquired with other purchases from the Villa Montalto in 1787[1] by Charles Townley, who bequeathed it to the British Museum in 1805, where its catalogue number is 1805, 0703 44. It was until recently in Gallery 84, but is now on the Main Stairs, replacing Townley's Discobolus.
References
- ^ A. H. Smith, "Gavin Hamilton's Letters to Charles Townley" The Journal of Hellenic Studies 21 (1901: 306–321) p. 306 note 3. Townley inventories, where it is interpolated between No. 9 (Hecate) and No. 10 (Fortune).
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