Girl with Doves Stele

This relief depicts a young girl in a tender moment with two doves.

Some of the best marble for carving is found on the island of Paros, and we see here the sculptor’s skills. The garment the girl wears is open at the side and her body shows through the folds of the drapery. Her hair is also finely carved.

The stele recalls an everyday scene from the girl’s life, but it is more than just a memorial; the doves are also symbols of the soul

Number

154

Material

Parian marble

Location of Original

New York Metropolitan Museum 73

Size

0.81m

Accession

Purchased in 1928

References

Lippold: Griechische Plastik, 176 (n.2), pl. 64.1
Richter: Sculpture & Sculptors of the Greeks (1950), 132, fig.426
Richter: Greek Sculpture in the Metropolitan Museum New York, 49
Richter: Metropolitan Bulletin XXII (1927), 101-, figs.1-2

Date

c.440 BCE

Provenance

Found in 1785 in Paros. Later at Brocklesby Park

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