Votive Bust of a Woman, Possibly Demeter or Persephone

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Votive Bust of a Woman, Possibly Demeter or Persephone

Place of OriginSicily, Italy

Date500-450 BCE

Dimensions5 7/8 × 4 1/2 × 2 in. (14.9 × 11.4 × 5.1 cm)

MediumMolded terracotta with traces of red coloring

ClassificationSculpture

Object number

1962.22

On View

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

Collections

Sculpture

Exhibition HistoryToledo Museum of Art, The Berlin Painter and His World: Athenian Vase Painting in the Early Fifth Century BC, July 8-October 1, 2017.Comparative ReferencesSee also Leonard von Matt, Ancient Sicily, New York, 1960, pl. 105, repr. mask of "Rhodian" type cast from ancient mold found at Acragas (Agriguntum). Large numbers of these molds have been found there.

cf. Richter, G.M.A., Archaic Greek Art, New York, 1949, pp. 184-186.

cf. Richter, G.M.A., A Handbook of Greek Art, New York, pp. 216-231, esp. pp. 222-225, pl. 331.

Label TextThis small terracotta bust, made in Sicily in the early 5th century BCE, likely represents Demeter or a priestess of her cult. Similar busts have been found in Sicilian sanctuaries, where they were dedicated as votive offerings. The stylized features and traces of red pigment reflect the artistic traditions of Magna Graecia, which blended local and Attic influences.