Greece, Tanagra, Boeotia, Hellenistic Period, ca. early 3rd century BCE. A beautiful, graceful example of a mold made pottery votive figure, a young lady standing with her weight on her left leg, wearing a chiton and himation arranged to leave her breasts and shoulders exposed, her right hand supporting herself on a pedestal, her left hand likely originally holding a fan but now broken at the elbow. Her hair is centrally parted and drawn into a knot at the back. Traces of original white pigment are on much of the surface, especially in the well-depicted folds of her clothing. Size: 2.95" W x 6.25" H (7.5 cm x 15.9 cm)

During the Hellenistic Period, Greeks had access knowledge about the past through institutions like the Library of Alexandria, creating a sense of history and connection to the Greeks who had come before them. Prominent Hellenistic art collectors commissioned pieces based on public statues from the earlier Classical Period, and smaller, more available art forms like this sculpture echoed the naturalistic, detailed classical style. Terracotta figures like this one have been found in private dwellings where they may have been part of a shrine or had a religious purpose. Others decorate tombs and sanctuaries - in Tanagra, the site that this style of figure is named for, some graves have up to a dozen of these statuettes. Perhaps they represented mourners, dressed in finery to attend a funeral.

Provenance: private Owen collection, New Jersey, USA, acquired in the 1990s from a US-based dealer; Collected in the early 1900's in Greece by the grandmother of the current elderly owner. Shown to the Victoria and Albert museum in 1987 which confirmed its authenticity.

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#128987

Figure is repaired from multiple pieces; repairs are well done and generally unobtrusive. One arm is missing at the elbow. Finely preserved details. A previous owner has applied a protective piece of felt to the base.