Page 112 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 13(2) (2025)

However, quite early was noted that rath- her posture, she may have originally decorative-
er than directly following the type that derives ly ‘supported’ the epistyle with her raised hand,
from the figures of the Erechtheion-porch, the as no holes are present in the modius. Her back
statue from Apsorus more closely resembles the is completely, though a prima vista more crude-
caryatides of the Tralles/Cherchell type, whose ly than the front side, carved, suggesting that the
prototype was likely conceived around the mid- figure was not affixed to an architectural struc-
3rd century BC or slightly later (Özgan 1995, ture but was instead a freestanding sculpture
7
131–2). This resemblance is particularly evident placed in front of a wall (Schmidt 1982, 92).
in its posture – one arm lowered and the oth- The statue from Apsorus appears to bear
er raised (the positioning of the arms is in pre- a closer affinity to the caryatid from Caesar-
served examples either the same or mirrored) – ea (Cherchell, Le Musée public national de
as well as in the arrangement of the braids, and Cherchell, inv. no. S 89; Collignon 1903, 15–
112 the garment, as all are wearing chiton and di- 6; Mendel 1914, 259; Fittschen 1979, 236–
plex. In addition to the best-preserved replicas 38; Schmidt 1982, 92–3; Özgan 1995, 126–7;
studia universitatis hereditati, letnik 13 (2025), številka 2 / volume 13 (2025), number 2
from Tralles (fig. 2) and Caesarea in Maureta- Kreilinger and Atif Hamza 2019, 47–8; Harl
nia (fig. 3), this type is also attested by two heads and Harl 2020, 24448) than to one from
in Athens (National Archaeological Museum, Tralles. The Caesarea figure is dated to the
inv. nos. 1682 and 1683; Schmidt 1982, 92–5; Öz- reign of the client kings, approximately the 20s
gan 1995, 125, n. 785), both of which feature holes BC (Özgan 1995, 126–7) or between circa 25
at the top, as well as by now-lost head original- BC and 40 AD (Kreilinger and Atif Hamza
ly from Tralles that was previously housed in the 2019, 48). Although the statue is fragmentary
Evangelical School in Izmir (Mendel 1914, 259; – missing both the arms and the head – cer-
Schmidt 1982, 93–4; Özgan 1995, 125, n. 786). tain formal characteristics allow for a compar-
The heads from Athens date to the Hadrianic ative analysis. The treatment of the drapery,
era, while the one from Tralles is attributed to particularly the arrangement of folds and the
the late 2nd century BC or early 1st century BC pronounced brim of the garment, is consist-
(Özgan 1995, 126). ent with the Tralles example. Per analogiam,
The best-preserved example of this type is the brim was likely held by the figure’s lowered
the Caryatid from Tralles (Istanbul Archaeolog- arm. The back of the Caesarea figure is rough-
ical Museum, inv. no. 1189; Collignon 1903, 13– ly carved, suggesting that it may have served a
29; Mendel 1914, 257–60, no. 541; Schmidt 1982, similar architectural function as the caryatid
92–3; Özgan 1995, 125–33, no. 70). According to from Tralles (Schmidt 1982, 92–3; Kreilinger
unverifiable tradition, it originates from the the- and Atif Hamza 2019, 47–8). Additional con-
atre of Tralles (Mendel 1914, 259; Fittschen 1979, textual evidence for the statue’s placement is
236; Schmidt 1982, 94). Initially dated to the Au- provided by the discovery of fragmentarily pre-
gustan era, it was later reassigned to the Claudi- served Gorgoneion at the same site (Cherchell,
an era due to stylistic differences compared to the Le Musée public national de Cherchell, inv. no.
8
replica from Caesarea. The caryatid holds the S 195). Given their size and the elaboration of
brim of her chiton with her lowered right arm, the reverse side, these pieces were likely decora-
while a modius rests atop her head. By analogy tive elements belonging to the architectural or-
with relief depictions of caryatides at the corners namentation of a large building. It is therefore
of Attic sarcophagi (Fittschen 1979, 236, n. 22; highly plausible that both the caryatid and the
Polacco and Traversari 1988, 21) and considering Gorgoneion formed components of a coherent

7 For a detailed discussion of its dating and the current state of research, see Özgan (1995, 128–32).
8 On the question of dating, see Özgan (1995, 126–8).