Caryatids

Caryatids are sculpted female figures used as architectural supports in place of conventional columns. They function as load-bearing elements that carry an entablature or roof while also serving as a decorative and symbolic feature of the building. The most famous examples come from ancient Greece, where these figures were often carved in full length and dressed in long robes.

The term caryatid derives from a Greek place-name, Caryae (Karyai), an ancient town associated with the practice of using such figures in temple architecture. The name has become general for this type of sculpture, and in later periods the concept was adopted and adapted in various cultures and styles.

Historically, caryatids appear in late Archaic and Classical Greek architecture. The best-known group is on the south porch of the Erechtheion, a temple on the Acropolis of Athens, where six caryatids support the entablature. Each figure is distinct in pose and expression, with draped garments that typically emphasize verticality and rhythm rather than idealized musculature. Caryatids have also appeared in other Greek temples and in later neoclassical architecture, where the form was revived and reinterpreted.

Distinctions are often made between caryatids and the male equivalent known as atlantes or telamones, which depict male figures acting as supporting columns. In sculpture, caryatids are valued for their combination of structural function and aesthetic presence, representing a fusion of architecture and figurative art.

Caryatids continue to influence decorative arts and architecture, appearing in reproductions, murals, and contemporary sculpture that echo classical motifs.