Veiled Woman

Place of OriginTanagra

Date350-340 BCE

Dimensions11 1/4 × 5 × 3 1/4 in. (28.6 × 12.7 × 8.3 cm)

MediumMolded and hand-finished earthenware.

ClassificationSculpture

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Object number

1932.3

On View

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

DescriptionVeiled lady standing on rectangular base.

Label TextSimultaneously concealed and revealed by her tightly draped cloak, this statuette shows a woman of high rank on a journey of some sort. Greek aristocratic women led extremely sheltered lives and were required to cover themselves whenever leaving the house (see nearby case “Women in Ancient Athens”). In 1871 French excavators discovered more than 8,000 tombs outside the city of Tanagra in Boeotia, about 35 miles north of Athens. Half of the tombs included terracotta statuettes representing not only gods but also everyday depictions of women, like this example. These figurines were instantly dubbed “Tanagras” and became a collecting craze throughout Europe.