Commentary Prepared by Dr. Julia Lenaghan, Ashmolean Museum

B 035
Nikandre's Dedication. Delos.

Marble
Statue
H. 1.75 m; with base, 2 m. No more than 17 cm in depth.

Found on Delos in 1878, in or near the sanctuary of Apollo. Most publications state the statue was found near the temple of Artemis, but the exact find spot of this statue is difficult to determine. Homolle’s 1879 preliminary report indicated the statue was found in a depression, along with others statues, behind an embankment on the east side of the Temple of Apollo. He refers to a plan of the site not published with the report. An 1880 report, however, indicates many of the statues, including the xoanon of Artemis in white marble were found along the sacred way, near the propylon. In another publication the following year, Homolle implies some connection between seven images of Artemis that he has found at the site, and the Temple of the Seven Statues (which he identifies with the Artemision). (It should be noted that the Temple of the Seven Statues is now recognised as the Temple of the Athenians – a later, fifth-century BC temple.)
Greece, Athens, National Museum, 1
Mid-seventh century BC (orientalising period).

Preservation:
The statue is almost completely preserved, although broken into two pieces at the waist (now reunited). Section of the left arm missing from elbow to the extremities of the hand. Right arm broken from elbow to wrist, still missing in the cast, but replaced in the original (the fragment having been found in 1949). The surface of the figure is weathered, with loss of detail especially of the face and hair; facial features can be distinguished – mouth, nose, eyes – but they are not well defined. The upper left side of the front of the head is most weathered and some of the bulk of the hair on the left side is worn away.

Description:
An over life-size, monolithic, marble female figure, standing with both arms at her sides, legs together. The figure is often described as plank-like and the rectangular block from which the figure was carved is evidence in the shape of the statue. There is some indication of breasts, or at least projection of the chest. The skirt section is the flattest, although the buttocks protrude slightly. The body is divided into two parts: torso, which tapers to the waist and the lower section (the figure’s long skirt) which flares out from the waist to the feet. The arms are only separated from the main body at the waist, where open gaps have been created. It is at this level that the breakages have occurred. The figure’s hair is arranged in the thick, wig-like style associated with the ‘Daedelic’ early korai and kouroi; strands of hair are gathered into rope-like sections (braids or ringlets), which fan out in a flattish, triangular mass onto the shoulders. The ears stick out (facing forward) and are pressed against the hair. She is dressed in a long tunic held at the waist by a thick belt. Sections of stone not carved away between the upper arms and body seem to represent the bottom edge of a short cape (usually called an epiblema). The line continues onto the back of the figure, rendered by incision. The figure’s hands are clenched into fists, and a small hole has been drilled between thumb and curled fingers in each fist. In the right fist, the hole does not pierce the entire fist, but it does in the left hand (Ridgway’s observation). (Neither hole is very noticeable in the cast.) The front bottom edge of the long skirt of the tunic is differentiated from the integral socle by a carved lozenge-shaped section, almost like a wide mouth across the front. Within this are two pebble-like shapes – the shod feet of the figure peaking out from beneath the hem of her skirt. The soles of the shoes are articulated by a carved line. At the sides and back there is no distinction between socle and skirt. A narrower section of stone projects from beneath the socle – a key to be inserted into another larger base. On the left thigh of the figure is an incised inscription, arranged vertically and written boustophedon, indicating the statue was dedicated by a certain Nikandre (I.G. 5,2): ?????d?? µ’a????e?e? h??ß???? ????ea???? ???? ?e???d???? tô ?ahs?? ??hs???? a????? ?e???µ??e?? de` ?as????t? F??hs? d’??????? ?/µ Nikandre dedicated me to the aim attaining shooter of arrows, (Nikandre being) the daughter of Deinodikos of Naxos, distinguished among women, sister of Deinomeneos, wife of Phraxos n/m... It is not clear whether the final letter is a nu or a mu.

Discussion:
Nikandre’s Dedication is one of the earliest, if not the earliest monumental figure carved in marble to have been found in a Greek context. In terms of overall appearance (especially the head) it belongs to a large group of materials of the seventh century BC referred to as ‘Daedalic’ – a term coined by nineteenth century scholars keen to establish a link between early sculptures like this and the earliest Greek sculptor known from literary sources: Daedalos. The so-called Daedalic style is, in turn, one aspect of figurative art which characterises what is generally termed the ‘orientalising’ period, when the figurative ornament of Near Eastern countries like Phoenicia (modern Syria) was adopted and adapted by Greeks. Another idea specifically adopted by Greek communities during this period was to create monumental stone works, both sculptural and architectural – an idea which many link to prolonged contact between Greeks and Egypt from the mid-seventh century on. The inscription indicates Artemis (hekeboloi iokeaipei – the goddess here described as the aim attaining shooter of arrows) as the recipient of this impressive votive. The excavator, Homolle, assumed the figure represented Artemis and many early publications referred to the figure by this name. The problem is bound up with the larger problem of identifying what the korai represent in general. Boardman has suggested this figure is a priestess, but Ridgway notes the holes in the fists, one drilled right through the left hand, could have held a bow and arrow and that the size of the figure puts it above human scale. It is not clear how scale relates to iconography in this period, however; the colossal kouroi do not have specific attributes which otherwise mark them out as deities. Smaller kore-style statues of the sixth century which depict Artemis show her holding a bow, but she holds it forward. Another suggestion is that this figure originally held leashes for animals, like the little similarly posed little figures which support seventh century monumental water basins (perirrhanteria) (for instance, B 39), although this does not seem to be the format favoured for large-scale figurative sculpture. The end of the inscription poses some problems. At the end of the last line, there is a letter which has been read by some as a ?, and has thus been restored as the first letter of n (un?) (now). Homolle’s original publication and the most recent study of the inscription argue the letter is a µ, and therefore perhaps the first letter of a longer phrase, m(e ho deina epoiesen), or even m(en) (see Marcadé 1987). Additionally, there is some debate about whether this figure wears a cape (epiblema) or not. E. Harrison doubts the existence of this supposed garment (JWaltersArtGall 36, 1977), 37 – 48). Because of its early date, Nikandre’s Dedication has played a pivotal role in the story of the birth of Greek monumental sculpture. In the past, scholars have tended to focus on attributing the innovation of monumental sculpture to regional sculptural schools, with Crete and Ionia or the Cyclades particular favourites. The Daedalic style was thought to stem from Crete, and the similarities between the costume worn by Nikandre’s dedication and other figures found on Crete, usually taken to be slightly earlier, have suggested to some that the figure was carved by a Cretan émigré working in the Cyclades. However, the same kind of costume (whether or not it involves a cape) is not limited to Crete and this explanation does not take into account the need for marble carving techniques (the Cretan sculptures being of limestone). Others thought Nikandre’s kore itself indicated the marble-rich islands of the Cyclades and Ionia were where Egyptian monumentality was mediated and disseminated through the Greek world. This is only partly right; a colossal limestone figure found on Crete suggests that Cretans were already making and using monumental figures, but the islanders, and more specifically the Naxians, were certainly exploiting their marble as a prestige material for their monumental dedications. Nikandre’s Dedication is one of an extensive series of dedications and developments at the Pan-Hellenic sanctuary of Delos which were sponsored by Naxians in this period, including buildings (the Naxian Oikos), the largest kouros known (now in ruins) and possibly lining a terrace (the Lion Terrace) with large, marble lions. This last is reminiscent of Egyptian sanctuaries such as the temple at Luxor. Nikandre’s Kore itself has been found to correspond with the second Egyptian canon of proportions. These observations indicate that the Naxians were not only exploiting their marble resources in order to distinguish themselves with an international sanctuary (and at the same time spurring a market for their marble), but also that the Naxians were sponsoring the importation of Egyptian ideas and their adaptation and use in Greek contexts on a level not so readily visible in the remains of other sanctuaries of this period. Mention should be made of another approach to the study of early Greek sculpture, which does not focus on finding the originators of monumental sculpture, but aims to discern the traits characteristic of regional sculpture workshops (Pedley; Kokorrou-Alewras). In such studies, Nikandre’s dedication is often held up as an example of the emphasis on linearity and verticals which dominate the ‘Naxian school’ throughout the archaic period. To what extent the forms and volumes of this figure can be related to specific aesthetic or mechanical traditions as opposed to experimental use of marble and use of Egyptian-derived proportions is questionable, however. For more on early Greek sculpture and the ‘Daedelic’ style, see also A 160, B 3, B 36, B 39 and 00-023. CMD

Bibliography:
T. Homolle, “Inscriptions archaiques de Délos,” and “Statues trouvée a Délos,” BCH 3 (1879) 1 – 19, esp. 3 – 1299 – 110, esp. 100 pl. 1 (preliminary reports; first article on the inscription, the second on the statue, found next to Temple of Apollo)
T. Homolle, “Fouilles exécutées à Délos,” RA (1880) 85 – 95, esp. 89 (find place was near the sacred way)
T. Homolle, Conference sur l’Ile de Delos, extract from the Bulletin de la Société de géographie de l’Est (Nancy 1881) 22 (implies seven statues of Artemis found near Artemision)
T. Homolle, De antiquissimis Dianae simulacris delias (1885) 15 ff., pl. 1 (on the so-called Artemis statues; unable to consult so far)
R.J.H. Jenkins, Dedalica (Cambridge 1936) 68 – 70 (660—50 BC; remarks that stylistic origins of statue are inconclusive)
M. Guarducci, Epigrafia greca 1 (Rome 1967) 154—56, figs. 38, a—c (entry on the inscription, with plates)
G.M.A. Richter, Korai: Archaic Greek Maidens (London 1968) 26, no. 1, figs. 25 – 28 (c. 650 BC; description with plates)
M. Lejeune, “La dédicace de Nœkandre et lécriture archaïque de Naxos,” RPhil 45 (1971) 209—215 (last letter of inscription is ‘n’)
J. Pedley, Greek Sculpture of the Archaic Period. The Island Workshops (Mainz 1976) 19 and 20, no. 1 (statue is early example of preoccupation with geometric forms in the Naxian school; catalogue entry with bibliography)
B.S. Ridgway, The Archaic Style in Greek Sculpture (Princeton 1977) 86 – 87 and 124 – 25 (identifies as Artemis; wearing cape and peplos)
E. Guralnick, “Proportions of korai,” AJA 85 (1981) 269 - 80 (figure corresponds to Egyptian canons of proportion)
J. Marcadè, “La pèlerine de l’Artemis de Nikandre,” Mélanges de philologie, d’histoire et d’archéologie grecques offerts à Jules Labarbe (Liège 1987) 369 – 375 (statue wears cape; last letter of inscription is ‘m’; essential summary of inscription problems and scholarship)
, The Local Scripts of Ancient Greece, 2nd ed. with supplement by A.W. Johnston (Oxford 1990) 47, 291, 303, no. 2, 311, pl. 55, no. 2 (Naxian; plate, illustration and transliteration of inscription)
G. Kokkorou-Alewras, “Die archaische naxische Bildhauerei,” Antike Plastik 24 (Munich 1995) 80, no. 1 (more recent than her 1975 book Archaische Naxische Plastik. Short catalogue entry and finds the statue exemplifies Naxian aesthetics)
A. Hermary, J. Marcadé et al, Sculptures déliennes (Paris 1996) 14 – 15 , no. 1 (short catalogue entry with photos: front, left side, right, three-quarter view. Suggests date later than Lady of Auxerre)
K. Karakasi, Die archaischen Koren (Munich 2000) (the latest catalogue on korai – unable to consult thus far)