The original Caryatids (Caryatides) statues from the Erechtheion as they are exhibited in the Acropolis Museum.
It is impossible not to be enchanted by the Karyatids’ measured stance—now resting one leg, then the other, ever so careful not to disturb the lines of the roof they hold on their crowns.

The Caryatids have become the temple’s signature feature, as they stand and casually support the weight of the porch’s roof on their heads.
Their identification, or the purpose for such elaborate column treatment is lost through the centuries, but it was by no means a new feature in Greek architecture. The Syphian treasury at the sanctuary of Delphi similarly substituted female figures for columns as far back as the sixth century BCE.
More about the Erechtheion…
Exhibited at the Acropolis Museum, Athens, Greece.