The Didyma Sculptures: statue
- Gallery: Room 13
- Culture: East Greek
- Date: 520BC-510BC (circa)
- Object type: statue
- Materials: marble
- Museum number: 1859,1226.9
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
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About this object
Before you is a nearly life-sized marble statue of a seated woman, dating to around 520 to 510 BCE. The figure is carved in a rich, dynamic style typical of East Greek sculpture. She wears a layered chiton with wide sleeve openings that reveal her forearms. Her drapery is detailed—one end of a mantle cascades in zigzag folds over her arm, while the other loops gracefully around her knee.
The statue was discovered on the Sacred Way in Didyma, revealing the artist’s focus on anatomy, with visible leg muscles subtly rendered through the fabric. Notice the Ionic bonnet details and the unique eight folds between her bent legs. Carved from marble, the work offers insight into ancient Greek sculptural innovation, with a sense of movement and realism that was rare in its time.
See it in person
The Didyma Sculptures: statue is on display in Room 13 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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