Grave Stele of Hegeso

The Grave Stele of Hegeso, most likely sculpted by Callimachus, is renowned as one of the finest Attic grave stelae surviving (mostly intact) today. Dated from c. 410 – c. 400 BCE, it is made entirely of Pentelic marble. It stands 1.49m high and 0.92m wide, in the form of a naiskos, with pilasters and a pediment featuring palmette acroteria. The relief, currently on display at the National Archaeological Museum in Athens (NAMA 3624) was found in 1870 in the Kerameikos in Athens, which now houses a replica of it. In its current condition, it is almost complete, but has been restored around its edges. The plinth has mostly broken off and there is slight damage on the head of Hegeso. The main shows a mature Athenian woman (Hegeso) wearing a chiton (costume) and himation, seated on a chair with her feet resting on an elaborate footstool. In her left hand, she holds an open cista, and in her right she holds a piece of (missing) jewelry that was originally painted, at which she is directing her gaze. Opposite her, on the left, stands a maidservant wearing a tunic and a headdress described as either a snood or sakkos. The maidservant is presenting the pyxis, on the knees of Hegeso. On the epistyle there is an epitaph, stating that the deceased is Hegeso, daughter of Proxenios. In general, stelae can be seen as a retrospective funerary art, that typically articulate a

Monument data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).