The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 18, 2025

Dancer

c. 50 BCE

Greece, Alexandria

(?)
marble
Overall: 85.4 cm (33 5/8 in.); Base: 6.8 x 32.2 cm (2 11/16 x 12 11/16 in.); without base: 78.6 cm (30 15/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1965.24
Location: 102C Greek

Did You Know?

Three nonjoining fragments, including a right hand and arm, may belong to this statuette.

Description

The pose and dress of this statuette of a woman, together with her elaborate sandals and hairstyle, suggest that she represents a dancer. Standing with one knee slightly bent, she holds a sash in her lowered left hand. The sash passes behind her back, probably to be held aloft in her right hand, now separated. She wears a chiton, a rectangular sheet folded at the top to create a large overhang, then wrapped around the left side of the body and pinned at the shoulders. Belted high above her waist, the fabric cascades in deep folds.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Golden Anniversary Acquisition,” 1965, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 23 archive.org
    Stechow, Wolfgang. "Cleveland's Golden Anniversary Acquisitions." Artnews 65, no. 5 (September 1966): 30-64.
    Published as: Standing Girl. Reproduced p. 31; mentioned p. 32
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 23 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 25 archive.org
  • Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966).
  • {{cite web|title=Dancer|url=false|author=|year=c. 50 BCE|access-date=18 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1965.24