representation of the human figure, but also the kouroi as they now exist are literally not the same as when
they were created. Very faint traces of pigment on some of the kouroi indicate that they, like apparently
ancient Greek (and Egyptian) works of sculpture in general, were originally painted. We have to imagine
– and this does require a considerable stretch of the imagination – the skin of the kouros painted a
realistic flesh color, the whites and the irises of the eyes painted in the appropriate colors, the hair dyed
black or brown or blond, the lips and nipples reddish, and the fillet in the young man’s hair perhaps a
deep purple. Even more colorful will have been the sculptures representing young women. For,
corresponding to the series of kouroi, Greek sculptors of the Archaic Period created scores of figures of
young women, which we now refer to as “korai,” the plural form of the ancient Greek word KORE,
which means “young woman.” Unlike the kouroi, korai were represented as fully clothed, since the
Greeks considered it shameful for women, but not for men, to be seen in the nude. The kore shown in
figure 25 still has noticeable traces of paint, but much of the original coloring on her clothes, face, and
hair has disappeared. Like many korai, in her original state she was further decorated with gold jewelry,
which has naturally been looted in the course of time.
KORE (PLURAL: KORAI) An Archaic statue of a clothed young woman in a standing pose (figure
25 ).