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Veiled Woman

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Veiled Woman
Image Not Available for Veiled Woman

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
Collections
  • Sculpture
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.

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