Greek Terracotta Figurine of A Seated Woman

$499.17

A Greek hollow-moulded terracotta figurine of a woman, regally seated on a small throne. The woman is depicted wearing a chiton, himation, and a garland.

The figure represents a well-established type in both small-scale terracottas and large stone sculptures of Eastern Greece. It is possible that this figurine depicts a goddess, on account of her gracefully seated pose, and the garment covering the back of her head and her body.

 

Date: Early 5th Century BC
Condition: Fine condition; some signs of ageing and earthly encrustations on the surface; original pigmentation still visible.

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SKU: SH-16 Category: Tag:

There are visible traces of the original white, red, and black pigmentation on the figure’s body. All sculpture in ancient Greece would originally have been painted with a polychromatic colour scheme. Unfortunately, exceedingly few examples of statues and statuettes have survived to the modern day with their original paintwork intact. Here, however, we can see the remnants of paint clearly – a rarity as far as the ancient sculptural tradition is concerned.

The chiton and himation worn by the figure are the typical civic garb of ancient Greece. If she is a goddess, she is anthropomorphic on account of the clothing; if she is human, her godlike attributes immensely elevate her status. The statuette thus poses important questions pertaining to the ways in which Greeks related to their gods, and how they treated their fellow humans.

Weight 74.3 g
Dimensions H 10 cm
Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region

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