Greece, Hellenistic period, ca. 3rd century BCE. A beautiful, mold-formed, hollow terracotta votive figure depicting a young woman standing in contrapposto with her weight shifted to her right leg, wearing a voluminous peplos, pinned at the shoulders with broochlike fibulae, the drapery folds cascading over her curvaceous figure. Her tranquil visage is crowned by an diadem adorned updo. Size: 6.5" H (16.5 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.
Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA; ex-Bonhams, London, Knightsbridge Antiquities Auction (May 8, 2013, part of lot 157); ex-Joseph Klein collection, New York, USA, formed between 1941 to 1980, thence by descent
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#139943
Condition
Loss to hemline as shown. Minute losses to diadem and nose. Perforation atop head. Expected surface wear. Scattered deposits.