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A work made of terracotta, polychromy.

Statuette of a Woman

about 450 BCE

Greek; Boeotia

Industrious workshops in Boeotia produced thousands of mold-made terracotta statuettes for religious, decorative, and funerary use for several centuries. This engaging statuette represents a woman whose down-turned eyes and pursed lips lend her a dejected air. Her hair is drawn up on the crown of her head and wrapped in a length of patterned cloth. She is clothed in a full-length, sleeveless dress and adorned with a necklace with seven pendants and a pair of bracelets on each arm. Remarkable for the preservation of its bold red, vivid yellow, and black coloration, this figurine reminds viewers that many ancient sculptures were once brightly painted.

terracotta, polychromy

Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium