Grave Stele of Hegeso

Date ca. 410-400 BCE

Movement Greek | Classical

Medium Marble

Height 61″

Provenance Kerameikos, Athens, Greece

Housed at National Archaeological Museum, Athens

Beneath a pediment and between two engaged columns, Hegesor is presented jewelry by a servant girl. The Pheidian elements include deeply cut gowns and smooth, idealized faces. The shallow relief of the servant girl’s left arm and Hegeso’s veil ease so gently into the stone that they suggest more of an empty space in the background as opposed to a flat surface. Grave markers such as these became wildly popular at this time, helping to spread the Pheidian style far beyond Athens.