In antiquity, two large Caryatids from the Lesser Propylaea adorned the sanctuary of the Greek goddess of agriculture Demeter at Eleusis in Greece as architectural support taking the place of columns.

The Caryatid was removed from Eleusis in 1801 by Englishman Edward Daniel Clarke, who later donated it to the University of Cambridge; it remains on display in the Fitzwilliam Museum.

It has been suggested that the pair were idealised portraits of the daughters of Appius Claudius Pulcher, the Roman consul who dedicated the gateway that they supported, between 54 and 48 BC.

[2] The people of Eleusis worshipped the caryatid as an icon of Saint Demetra, and would cover it with flowers and garlands,[3] as they believed that the goddess was able to bring fertility to their fields and bless their crops.

[6][7] Around 1765–1766, the antiquary Richard Chandler, along with the architect Nicholas Revett and the painter William Pars, visited Eleusis and mentioned the statue as well as the local folklore about it.

An ox broke free of its halter the day before the removal and dashed against Saint Demetra with its horns, alarming the locals who took it to be a bad omen for the crops.

[1] The vessel on both caryatids are decorated with emblems and items associated with the rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries, such as ears of corn, rosettes, cakes, and bundles of myrtle.