Marble statue of a woman

Marble statue of a woman

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Copy or adaptation of a Hellenistic statue of the 2nd century B.C. This figure wears three layers of clothing: a sleeved chiton visible below the neck, which is tied with a looped knot at the waist; a second chiton or peplos, fastened on both shoulders; and a himation (cloak), draped over the left shoulder and the lower part of the body. The composition of the drapery with its complex design of folds visible beneath layers of semitransparent material is a characteristic feature of sculpture dated to the late Hellenistic period. This Roman copy captures much of the variety and subtlety of the original work. A portrait head was probably fitted into the hollow prepared at the neck.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

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The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.