Choirine Relief

Greek

British Museum

370-360 BC

A small funerary relief of a priestess whose name was Choirine. She is depicted wearing a chiton and a cloak and holding a temple key, her badge of office. The figure is carved in low relief, slightly turned in three-quarter view, within a sunken rectangular panel. Her name is inscribed on the surround above. The stone would once have been painted and is thought to come from Eleusis, where it was probably set up at the beginning of the Sacred Way that led to Athens.

• Medium: marble
• Dimensions: 66 x 49cm
• Art Fund Grant: £10000 ( Total: £38,000)
• ArtFunded in: 2007
• Vendor: Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch Ltd

Provenance

Said to have been found in Eleusis, and likely to have been acquired by the French vice-consul in Athens, L S Fauvel; acquired by French Rear-Admiral E Halgan (1771-1852) in 1819; Francois Lenormant, classical scholar and author of a study of Eleusis which mentions the relief, published in 1862; Jack Ogden, London; sold in 1983 to Carlo-Maria Fallani, Switzerland.

Add your comments about this artwork Hide this form

Have your say