Female philosopher "Buried by Vesuvius" through October 28, 2019 at the Getty Villa

Female philosopher "Buried by Vesuvius" through October 28, 2019 at the Getty Villa.
"This woman wearing a double fillet (headband) is often identified as the poet Sappho, but her unlayered himation (mantle) was commonly worn by male philosophers. Given the Epicurean aspect of the Villa dei Papiri’s contents, it is tempting to identify her as a follower of the philosopher Epicurus, who admitted women into his school. Epicurus praised one of his female pupils in particular, a former courtesan named Leontion. If this identification is correct, the ancient display of this bust near that of Seleukos (left) juxtaposed a king and military commander with a philosopher, perhaps contrasting the active life of a ruler with the contemplative life of an Epicurean. " - J. Paul Getty Museum
The sculpture was found at the north corner of the rectangular peristyle on August 23, 1758. The sculpture is Roman and dated between the 1st century BCE and the first century CE.



Images: Female Philosopher closeup photographed at the Getty Villa. Female philosopher overall courtesy of Allan Gluck.

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