marble dove

Turtle-doves, which the Greeks call 'peristeri', were, in Greek mythology, the birds of love, sacred to the goddess Aphrodite. Doves were said to draw her heavenly chariot, and her seven daughters, the Pleiades, are known as the 'flock of doves'.

The bird was also sacred to Demeter, the goddess of the fertility of the earth.

There is also our familiar reference to the dove with an olive branch, representing Eirene, the Greek goddess of peace and harmony.

Way before Aphrodite's time, birds—specifically doves—were popular and significant motifs in Cycladic sculpture ca 2700–2300 BCE. Just like the minimalist, abstract human figurines, these stylised birds were sculpted from local white marble, with no facial features, wings, beaks or claws. It seems likely that to these inhabitants of the Cyclades, the dove was a symbol of fertility, life, and rebirth. In subsequent centuries, the dove became permanently associated with Aphrodite.

Produced in Greece in the workshop of the Semitekolo family, with whom It's All Greek is proud to have been working since 1999. They also produce It's All Greek's signature bronze collection.

These pieces are cast in marble and have a lovely glistening finish to them!