Greek Terracotta Female Figure Greek Terracotta Female Figure Greek Terracotta Female Figure Greek Terracotta Female Figure Greek Terracotta Female Figure
Greek Terracotta Female Figure
Greek Terracotta Female Figure
Greek Terracotta Female Figure
Greek Terracotta Female Figure
Greek Terracotta Female Figure

Greek Terracotta Female Figure

SKU: MS.0147

Origin: Mediterranean
Circa: Hellenistic Period, 3rd Century BC
Dimensions: 14.5" height (36.9 cm)
Medium: Terracotta

This is a superb Hellenistic terracotta female figure with an host of delicate remaining details and finely painted elements.  A finely pleated himation envelops both of her arms and wraps around her upper body entirely, while she wears a long chiton underneath. Her vibrant red, wavy hair is drawn back and bound at the nape of her neck and crowned with a rolled fillet of vine leaves. Traces of pigment remain throughout in white, red, pink and blue.

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$5,000.00

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 10 July 1990, lot 465 (part lot). Mavrommatis collection, Switzerland

Hellenistic terracotta figures of this type (especially Tanagra) generally depict real women, men, and boys, in everyday costume, with familiar accessories such as hats, wreaths or fans. They seem to have been decorative pieces for the home, used in much the same way as their modern equivalents, however, unlike these they were often buried with their owners. In such cases they may have been brought to temples and sanctuaries as offerings to the gods and deposited in graves as cherished possessions of the deceased, or as protective devices.

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