Hera of Cheramyes

The inscription on the hem of this cylindrical female figure’s clothing says it was made for the goddess Hera by somebody called Cheramyes. The findspot corroborates the dedication. Other sculptures have been more recently discovered with similar inscriptions, so they all may have stood together as a group.

The shape of the figure is interesting. Although carved in stone, its treetrunk-like appearance may hint at the origins of Greek sculpture, in wood; it certainly contrasts with the flat slab-like appearance of, for example, the Nikandre kore

Number

Material

Marble

Location of Original

Paris Louvre 686

Size

1.92m with plinth

Accession

Purchased in 1884 from the Louvre's cast atelier

References

Lippold: Griechische Plastik, 56, pl. 14.1
Buschor, E: Altsamische Standbilder II (1934), pls. 86-89
Karo: Personality in Greek Archaic Art, 201-2
Grose: 2, no.20
Walston: Catalogue of Casts in the Museum of Classical Archaeology (1889), 9, no.11
Reporter: 19 June 1885, 891, no.7
Stewart: Greek Sculpture, 116, pls. 93-6
Karakasi: Archaic Korai (2003), 13

Date

570-560 BCE

Inscription

Cheramyes dedicated me, a statue for Hera

Provenance

Found in 1875 in the Sanctuary of Hera on the Greek island of Samos

Search Casts

Museum of Classical Archaeology, Cambridge

Every cast tells two stories.
One ancient. One modern.

Admission is free.

Opening hours

Tues-Fri: 10-5pm
Sat: 2-5pm (Univ. term-time only)
Sun & Mon: Closed

Closed on Bank Holiday Mondays

Visit us

Museum of Classical Archaeology
Faculty of Classics
Sidgwick Avenue
Cambridge
CB3 9DA

Get in touch

Tel. +44 (0)1223 330402
Email museum@classics.cam.ac.uk
Join our mailing list

For an explanation of what personal information we gather when you visit the University’s website and details of how that information is used please see the following University Privacy policy:

https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-this-site/privacy-policy

Copyright statement

All images and material on our websites are ©Museum of Classical Archaeology, University of Cambridge unless otherwise stated. Please contact us to reproduce our images using a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence.

Important Information

Museum of Classical Archaeology Web Accessibility Statement