The Phrasikleia Kore is an Archaic Greek funerary statue by the artist Aristion of Paros, created between 550 and 540 BCE.

The exceptional preservation of the statue and the intact nature of the polychromy elements makes the Phrasikleia Kore one of the most important works of Archaic art.

[2] The Phrasikleia Kore is a Parian marble statue that features prominent polychromy[2] as seen in the hair and the dress.

It is thought that the skin of the Phrasikleia Kore was covered with a type of gum arabic to give it a realistic appearance.

[4] Scholars believe that the Alcmaeonid family of Athens was responsible for commissioning the sculpture, and for the subsequent the burial of the Phrasikleia Kore.

Additionally, the ancient Greek orator Isocrates recorded that the followers of Peisistratos "not only demolished the houses of the Alcmaeonids but they even opened their graves.

[5] Michel Fourmont, who visited Greece in the years 1729–1730, described a block of marble with an inscription that was found in the church of Panagia (All Saints) of Merenta.

Κόρη κεκλήσομαι αἰεί, ἀντὶ γάμου παρὰ θεῶν τοῦτο λάχουσ' ὄνομα.

Kore (maiden) I must be called evermore; instead of marriage, by the Gods this name became my fate In 1968, the block was removed and placed in the Epigraphical Museum of Athens.

By 1972, the archaeologist Efthymios Mastrokostas discovered two marble statues in the tombs at Myrrhinous, a kouros and the Phrasikleia Kore.

The two sculptures matched the inscription found on the blocks, discovered at the church of Panagia, located just 200 meters (660 ft) from where the statues were excavated.

The comparison found that the lead ring fit perfectly onto the marble base securing the plinth of the kore, confirming the connection between the two.

The Phrasikleia Kore and base were reunited after 25 years, and also confirmed that the statue had been made by the artist Aristion of Paros.

The epigram found on the marble base that identified Ariston may be the earliest extant Attic example of a stoichedon inscription,[10] a style of text where letters are evenly spaced and aligned vertically as well as horizontally.

As defined in the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, Hestia is explicitly referred to as koúrē, who swears to remain a virgin forever.

"[13] The lotus, which is repeated on the crown of the Phrasikleia Kore and held in her left hand, is an Egyptian funerary symbol used by the Greeks.

[17] One reconstruction of the polychromy on Phrasikleia Kore displays an impressive use of eleven different reds, yellows, black, and white pigments.

The color of her skin alone uses a mixture of white lead, red ochre, and light brown umber to achieve a mimetic quality.

The Polychromy of Antique and Mediaeval Sculpture, Akten des Kolloquium Liebieghaus Frankfurt 2008, (Vinzenz Brinkmann, Oliver Primavesi, Max Hollein, eds.