Pythia in Paintings: Priestess of Delphi by John Collier (1891)
This painting has to be one of the most known depictions of the Pythia. She is dressed in a simple ochre-coloured chiton, heavily embroidered by the hem of the fabric . She is also wearing a bright red veil decorated with gold threads. The painting is showing the Pythia sitting on a tripod with vapor rising from a crack in the earth beneath her and holding laurel leaves, which are indicating the presence of Apollo. In her other hand, she is holding a dish filled with water from the sacred spring.
There are few differences in the research that I’ve done and this painting of the Pythia. According to contemporary sources, the Pythia was wearing a purple veil which she then took off before she entered the temple. Also, on Wikipedia it stated that she wore a short white dress however I wasn’t able to find any supporting evidence of this in any academic texts or publications. In the book Portrait of a Priestess, it shows the priestess wearing a simple chiton with mantle, pinned at both shoulders, and decorated with some rather simple but colourful embroidery details. Her fancy dress is complimented with jewelry.
Image source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Collier_-_Priestess_of_Delphi.jpg
