Oldal 52 [52]
ZSUZSANNA TURCSÁN-TÓTH
Furthermore, she analyzed only one of the known Artemis Ephesia statues,
the so-called Schöne Artemis Ephesia, which was found in the Prytaneion
of Ephesus. Without doubt, this statue, as opposed to numerous replicas
of the cult statue, is original in every detail. However, we easily arrive at
a misconception if we study only one sculpture, as there is considerable
variation when it comes to the ornaments.
Although I agree with Portefaix’s conclusion that some elements of
the statue are interpretable with the help of the De antro nympharum and
that this interpretation is related to birth or perhaps rebirth, I suggest
analyzing not one but all of the replicas of Artemis Ephesia in order to arrive
at a more nuanced understanding of the meaning of the ornaments. My goal
is to select the elements which regularly appear on the statues and analyze
them. More specifically, 1am choosing one of the most commonly appearing
group of elements here in order to present an allegorical interpretation of
them and to analyze their possible connection with the mysteries concerning
the goddess.
For my specific topic, the most important parts of the statue are
the ornaments on the chest. This is the part which can be observed in detail
only on the statues, while the coins, gemstones, small sculptures, and pottery
stamps do not provide relevant information concerning this area.
There are two reasons why I have chosen this part of the statues to analyze.
The first is that most of the statues went through a certain level of restoration.
But as the chest ornamentations are more relief-like, they are less likely to
have sustained damage than the decorations on the polos, ependytes, and
arms. The changes related to restoration hardly affected the chest, so we can
be sure in almost every case that we are looking at the original ancient surface
of the statues.
It is important to point out that, in most cases, we do not know the exact
site of the Artemis Ephesia statues or their condition when they were found.
The first information about them is provided by drawings and descriptions
from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, or we only know
the statues directly from nineteenth and twentieth-century collections.
At that time, they were usually parts of some antique art collection in
a restored condition. In very fortunate cases, some earlier drawings from
the time before the restoration are also known. These might help further
research, but we can never be sure whether the artist represented the real
figure and condition or added elements of their own imagination.
The other reason why the main focus of the examination is the chest
part of the statue is that the sculptures—though they are similar to one
another in the major features—have several variants as to the details of their
ornaments.
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