A terracotta grotesque of a comic actor, Ptolemaic, c. 2nd - 1st Century BC, of brown Nile silt clay with traces of white dressing. The actor is dressed as an old woman, with voluminous hairdo, wearing a gown and necklace. He exposes his bare rump and sticks out his tongue, his skin wrinkled and limbs somewhat emaciated. H: 6 3/4" (17.1 cm). Minor losses to bottom and nicely mounted on an antique stepped base. Ex Cecil Best collection, London (1882 - 1973).