Head of Artemis at The State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg

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Artemis - the goddess of the hunt, patroness of beasts, stern virgin and protectress of chastity - was also venerated as a deity of vegetation and fertility. As interpreted by the sculptors in the first half of the 4th century BC her image acquired softer features. It was that period (probably the circle of the sculptor Praxiteles) that produced the original that served as a prototype for the Roman copy in the Hermitage collection. The goddess is depicted as a very young maiden. Her exquisite head was tilted slightly and that movement adds Artemis's appearance an intimate, peculiarly Praxitelean charm. Her hair is drawn up and arranged in a plait around the head, which was a rare coiffure, but this kind of hairstyle gained much popularity with the circle of Praxiteles, since it allowed to accentuate the sophisticated beauty of the face.   This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.Scanned : Photogrammetry (Processed using Agisoft PhotoScan)