Glossary Sculpture, figurines and art
Kore
Also called: korai
A Greek Archaic statue of a standing, clothed young woman (plural korai), a type Cypriot sculptors followed from the late sixth century BCE.
Kore is Greek for 'maiden'. In Greek art it names the standing draped female statue of the Archaic period, companion to the nude male kouros. Cypriot female votaries began to follow Greek korai late in the sixth century BCE, with lighter jewellery and a diadem or fillet in place of heavy local ornament; the kore from Vouni wears a mantle draped like those of Ionian male statues.
The word is also used for a mould-made plaque type showing a draped woman, introduced to Cyprus through Phoenician workshops and dedicated in the same sanctuaries as local handmade figurines. Kore is also a title of the goddess Persephone, a separate use of the same word. See clothing and dress.
Full entry: Clothing and Dress in Ancient Cyprus
Related terms
- Votary
A worshipper shown in a statue or figurine, usually dedicated in a sanctuary to stand before the deity on the donor's behalf.
- Mould-made
Made by pressing clay into a hollow mould, so that many near-identical figures, faces, lamps or bricks could be produced from one master.
- Cypro-Greek style
Gjerstad's name for Cypriot sculpture from about 540 BCE onwards that engages closely with Greek art while keeping local forms and materials.