Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
ADJUNCT MODULE B: ITALIAN ART
Preferred Title:
Statue of Mother Goddess (Kourotrophos) breast feeding two twins (from Megara Hyblaea)
Alternate Title:
Kourotrophos
Image View:
Detail, showing twins nursing at each breast
Creator:
unknown (Ancient Greek) sculptor
Location:
repository: Museo Archeologico Regionale 'Paolo Orsi' (Syracuse, Sicily, Italy) inv. 53234
Location Note:
Viale Teocrito, 66
GPS:
37.0764 15.2864
Date:
ca. 550 BCE (creation)
Cultural Context:
Ancient Greek
Style Period:
Archaic (Greek)
Work Type 1:
sculpture (visual work)
Classification:
Sculpture and Installations
Material:
limestone from Melilli
Technique:
carving (processes)
Measurements:
78 cm (height)
Subjects:
death or burial; funerary art; deities; archaeology; Cemeteries
Description:
From Megara Hyblaea, the northwest necropolis, found 1952. The statue was of local manufacture. Kourotrophos (Greek: κουροτρόφος, "child nurturer") is the general name that was given in ancient Greece to gods and goddesses whose properties included their ability to protect young people and were usually depicted holding a baby in their arms. But Kourotrophos was also an independent cult deity, appearing in sacrifice groups connected with fertility and child care.
Collection:
Adjunct Module B: Italian Art
Identifier:
7A3-G-AMA-SMG-A04
Rights:
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.

Statue of Mother Goddess (Kourotrophos) breast feeding two twins (from Megara Hyblaea)