Description
Head of a goddess Artemis from Issa, Issa, Croatia
Artemis (Gr. Ἄρτeuiς, G. Ἀρτέμιδος) is the greek goddess of the Moon, wild beasts and the hunt, weddings and births and is the protector of women. She is Apollo’s twin sister and the daughter of Zeus and Leto. Her counterpart in Roman mythology is Diana, goddess of the hunt and Selene, goddess of the Moon.
Artemis is more than a myth however. She was mentioned in
the bible Acts of apostles chapter 19.
The head of the goddess Artemis sits atop a bronze statue about 150 – 160 cm tall. The facial expression and the shape of the head indicate the use of sculptural elements based on Praxitel’s* tradition. It displays a young woman with an idealized appearance. A face without wrinkles proves her calmness and harmony of inner self. The eyes are large and lined with a bright leaf (lead), giving a strong color contrast compared to to the greenish patina of the bronze.
The head of the Iseian goddess is an original Greek work from the end of the 4th century BC. or the beginning of the 3rd century BC. Next to Lošinj’s Apoxyomenos is this sculpture of Artemis, one of the most important ancient finds in Croatia.
*Praxitel from Athens, son of Cephisodotus the Elder, was the most famous Attic sculptor from the 4th century BC. He was the first to carve the naked female form in a life-size statue.
