Caryatid porch of the Erechtheion, Athens, Greece
This is one of several unused postcards shared by K & J. The card was printed in Greece with a photograph showing a closer view of the Caryatid porch of the Erechtheion in Athens, Greece. In the 8 December 2016 postcard post numbered 276 more of the Erechtheion can be seen. While it is possible to see that there are figures for the pillars on that postcard, it was not really possible to get a close-up view of them. This card was in the group of cards that I recently received from K and clearly shows the maidens, hence, the chance to update the previous post.
These sculpted female figures, called Caryatids, sometimes spelled Caryatides, serve as architectural support in place of a more common looking column or pillar. Each maid has a basket on her head that provides a way to safely distribute the weight. Maidens of that time carried sacred objects used at feasts of the Goddesses Athena and Artemis in such baskets and these young women may represent priestesses of Artemis of Caryae. Atlas would be their male counterpart.
Girls who came from villages near Sparta, such as Caryae, were rumored to be beautiful, strong, and capable of bearing strong children. Although they are posed the more or less the same, three have the left foot forward and the other three have the right foot forward, they are the same height and are similarly attired, their face, hair, stance and draping were carved separately and each is slightly different from the others. The bulky hair styles provide necessary additional support to their necks, the thinnest and structurally weakest part of the sculpture.
In more modern times caryatids have also been used as decorative pillars. Thank you K & J for sharing the card.
For additional information and images of other caryatids, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caryatid
To see the original postcard post, 276, use the blog search box and use 276, caryatides or Greece.
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