Figurine of a Woman

Place of OriginGreece, possibly from Tanagra in Boeotia

Date325-300 BCE

Dimensions10 1/8 × 4 × 3 1/4 in. (25.7 × 10.1 × 8.2 cm)

MediumMolded terracotta with painted decoration

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineGift of The Georgia Welles Apollo Society

Object number

1993.63

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionThis is a standing female figure, molded from terracotta. Her weight rests on her left leg, creating a gentle S-curve in her body, and her head is tilted slightly upward. She is dressed in a himation (a fine tunic) and a more voluminous cloak draped over her shoulders and wrapped around her body. In her left hand, she holds a small, spouted pail known as a situla. Her hair is intricately coiffed and she wears a diadem of pointed leaves. The figurine was created using a two-part mold for the front and back, with details added by hand before firing. The surface was originally covered in a white slip and painted with bright, naturalistic colors; traces of red remain on the hair, and plentiful pink or crimson on the drapery.

Label TextThe ancient Greeks made figures in wood, metal, and ceramic as offerings for tombs, temples, and household altars. Elegantly dressed in the height of fashion, this woman may represent a goddess but is more likely a worshipper. Quantities of these types of statues were found in tombs and temple sites in a small town called Tanagra in central Greece. They were created by using two molds, one for the front of the statue and one for the back, with many of the details formed separately and added before firing in a kiln. They were then painted to look as natural as possible.Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, A Decade of Giving: The Apollo Society at the Toledo Museum of Art, 1996, p. 20, repr. (col.).

Toledo Museum of Art, Inspired Giving: The Apollo Society 25th Anniversary Exhibition, October 15, 2010-February 13, 2011, p. 23, repr. (col.) p. 23.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Higgins, R., Tanagra and the Figurines, London, 1985.

cf. Higgins, R., Greek Terracottas, London, 1967, p. 43, no. D.