The Three Graces, Hellenistic, c. 2nd-1st Century BC
Graces (or Charites) are goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity and fertility. They are, from youngest to oldest: Aglaea (“Splendor”), Euphrosyne (“Mirth”) and Thalia (“Good Cheer”).
The Charites were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome, though they were also said to be daughters of Dionysus and Aphrodite or of Helios and the naiad Aegle. Homer wrote that they were part of the retinue of Aphrodite. The Charites were also associated with the Greek underworld and the Eleusinian Mysteries. The river Cephissus near Delphi was sacred to them.
Several friends who know me well sent me this photo gallery, and they were right on the money: I’m enraptured by Canadian artist Heather Benning’s conversion of an abandoned farmhouse into a giant, open-sided dollhouse. —Sadie Stein
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