Marble Statue of a Wounded Amazon

On the first floor of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the Department of Greek and Roman Art, is the Mary and Michael Jaharis Gallery. Within it, a marble sculpture of a female figure protrudes slightly out into the center walkway, diagonally facing the Roman copy of Polykleitos’ Diadoumenos. Indicated by a short pillar the figure leans on, Marble Statue of a Wounded Amazon is also a Roman copy of an original Greek bronze creation, dating back to 450-425 B.C.E. with its creator unknown. This figure possesses a peculiarity that has always stuck with me, even after many visits to the Met's sculpture gallery. Her gaze is unrelenting, and her contrapposto conveys not ease, but weariness. The Amazon woman idealizes the human figure in its portrayal similar to Diadoumenos, but unlike her youthful male counterpart, she is anything but a common person. She is a wounded warrior.

The Amazons were a mysterious - and potentially fabricated - group of warrior women from Asia Minor, often described by historians and storytellers as living in male-free nomadic groups with great proweress on the battlefield. It said they would remove their right breast to facilitate drawing an arrow or throwing a spear. They were moon-worshippers and engaged in sex under the cover of darkness, without taking any pleasure of the act.

This context is reflected in the marble sculpture's dress, physique, and stance. The figure is clothed in a draping peplos reaching just above her knee. Her left breast is fully exposed, as only one side of the garment is fastened with the left strap hanging or possibly broken from post-battle. Her clothing is cinched at the waist with the front of the garment tucked underneath a belt made of rope and plaited material. The shortness of her peplos and the exposure of her breast contradicts classic Greek decorum, as females were usually fully clothed and males were nude.

The uniqueness of this sculpture lies within its interplay of traditional gender characteristics. The Amazon’s purposefully-shaped waist, exposed breasts, and other feminine features juxtapose the robust masculine physique of her arms and legs. The Amazon supports her weight with her right leg as she leans against the pillar on her left side. Her arms form triangular shapes, influencing the way the light and shadow interact with her marbled surfaces, enhancing her depth and dimensionality. This Amazon is indeed wounded, with small engraved droplets of blood flowing out of the side of her right breast. While seemingly regal and showing no signs of pain from her wound, she pauses momentarily, bracing herself for the next onslaught.

I imagine her at the Pink Pony Club in West Hollywood. She's leaning casually against the bar, catching her breath from the dancefloor. She's not the kind to wear heels but she has glitter under her eyes and a silk top with no bra on. Her heart aches for a myriad of reasons, though none of them occupy her mind with great depth in that moment. She hears the DJ intro one of her recent favorites. The Amazonian starts to the dancefloor, her battlefield ahead, her wounded heart to attend to at another time.

Author's note: The title of this post was originally, "Marble Statute of a Wounded Amazon." Please ignore my mistake, when the title should have read "Statue." I have lawyer brain rot. It's disgusting.