At Aidone, finally, is one of the most magnificent statues of a goddess from the ancient Greek era. Dated to be from 410 BC, the figure’s torso was carved using limestone from a quarry near Ragusa and her head and arms from imported Parian marbel. It was produced using a pseudo-acrolithic technique, giving her chiton and himation an outstanding textured draping. Scholars don’t know if she represents Aphrodite, Demeter, Persephone, or Hera. But her size (2.20-2.25 meters high), indicates that it was certainly a cult statue of great importance. I say, “finally,” because when this was unearthed during “illicit excavations” in 1978 or 1979, it was essentially stolen from Italy and was on display at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles until last year when it was returned to Sicily.
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Bibliography
Lyons, Claire L. and Michael Bennett, Clemente Marconi. Sicily: Art and Invention between Greece and Rome. Los Angeles: Getty Publications, 2013.
