Doll of the Day: Goddess of Beauty Barbie.
In keeping with this week’s theme, our doll for today is Goddess of Beauty barbie, from Mattel’s Classical Goddess Collection from the early 2000′s. She was released in 2000 as a Limited Edition doll.While any barbie shape is highly inaccurate in comparison to what Ancient Greeks thought beautiful (see Freya Was Jacked for more), what I love here is her outfit, hairstyle and jewelry.
The outfit imitates the effect of a Peplos with maybe a Kolpos on top? I’m guessing here. The draping is beautiful and period, even if the building of her outfit isn’t. The extra folds of fabric hanging from her hand look more like Alphonse Muchá does Greece than Greece to me, but it is visually beautiful all the same. Technically, they belong to the Kolpos, and should be draping around her body in a symmetrical manner to how they drape on the right side of the image. The diadem is awesome, and the hairstyle is actually period this time around, although it should hang a bit more on the back.
Above: Goddess Of Beauty Promo shot. Source: Mattel.
Compare with these:
Above: Detail from the Attic red-figure epinetron by the so-called Eretria Painter, ca. 425 BC. On this scene the friends of Alkestis visit her in the bridal chamber in Admetos' palace on the day after their wedding (epaulia). They bring flowers and decorate two nuptial lebetes and a loutrophoros. Source: Athens, National Archaeological Museum.
Above: Aphrodite, Boston 97.368. Source: http://www.rwaag.org/hair
Above: Hera, RISD 25.078. Source: http://images.perseus.tufts.edu/images/1990.03.1/1990.03.0263
Above: Apuleian vase painting of Zeus plotting with Aphrodite to seduce Leda while Eros sits on her arm (c. 330 BC) . Source: Wikipedia.
Above: Nike, RISD 35.707. The design on top is identical to the one in the doll’s belt. We also have the same style of shoulder drapery here. Source: http://images.perseus.tufts.edu/images/1990.03.1/1990.03.0282
Above: Louvre G 42Artemis (her hair is arranged in a krobylos) Check the border on the right side. It’s just like the main print on the doll’s outfit. The diadem is thinner, but close in shape. Source: http://images.perseus.tufts.edu/images/1992.06.1/1992.06.0433
Above: Cropped image of Iaso from a Greek urn. Dated circa 400 BC Source: Wikipedia
And check this out:
Above: Ancient Greek diadem found in the Ukraine; c. 450 BC Source: Rebloggy
Above: Pediment-shaped gold diadem. Period: Hellenistic. Date: ca. 330–300 B.C. Culture: Greek. Medium: Gold. Source: The MET.
Above: Ancient Greek gold diadem, dated to 330-300 BCE. The diadem was crafted in Taranto, a city in a southern Italian region then known as Magna Graecia because it had been settled by Greek peoples starting in the 8th century BCE. Currently located in the British Museum. Source: Jewels Of The Ancient World Tumblr
Not bad Mattel. Not bad at all!