Statuette of Seated Cybele

about 300 B.C.

Medium

Marble

Dimensions

28 × 17 cm

Status

In Museum Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-250723

The goddess Cybele, wearing a polos (a tall, cylindrical headdress) on her head, sits on an unadorned block-like throne. Her wavy hair is parted in the middle and long tresses fall down the front of her chest. She wears a chiton and a garment called a peplos, a piece of heavy cloth folded over at the top, pinned at the shoulders, and usually worn belted. Here, the peplos is belted at the waist. A himation is draped over her left arm and across the lower part of her body. Her feet are shod, perhaps in boots, and rest on a footstool. She holds a phiale (shallow bowl for pouring libations) in her right hand. Her left arm is raised, possibly holding a scepter. At her left side, in front of the flat side of the throne is a boy, probably a devotee, shown in profile and wearing a short tunic and chlamys (mantle). A seated lion is at her right side. In Greek and Roman art, Cybele, the “Mother of the Gods,” is depicted with various attributes, each signifying a different role. She frequently wears a mural crown, a turret headpiece representing the walls of a city, since she was a protectoress of cities. The lion, sacred to the goddess, symbolizes her power over wild animals. Lions usually …