House with Caryatids

What I can see

It is a “folk house”, as described by Biris, with two characteristic caryatids (daughters from the Karyes of Laconia, Southern Greece), which are wrongly believed they are made of marble. They are ceramic, painted and support the balcony of the building, as was the case in the buildings of antiquity. Their hands are crossed, unlike the classical caryatids of antiquity, whose hands are free. Their lower ends are of decreasing volume and end in a square base. There are obvious problems with size and ratio. The caryatids are only two and disproportionate to their frame and the building as a whole.

What I can't see

The caryatids are rumoured to be works of Ernst Ziller, which is not the case. They were sculpted by the sculptor Ioannis Karakatsanis, who also owned the house. Caryatids have been used many times in late neoclassical architecture (late 19th-early 20th century). This particular house was a source of inspiration for the painter Yannis Tsarouchis and the paintings “The House with the Caryatids” (1952) and “The House in the Agii Asomati” (1971). It has not only been a source of inspiration for Tsarouchis, but also for theatrical sets, literature (e.g. The Third Wedding) and urban legends about the symbolism of the caryatids. Outside Greek borders, it became known – most likely – from the French photographer Henri Cartier Bresson. Today, the building houses the Institute of Greek Mills.

Info

• Address: 45 Asomaton St.

Bibliography