Greek, 5th - 4th century B.C.

Terracotta

H: 13 cm

Serial: 8330

PROVENANCE

Ex- Robert Guy private collection, London, 1997

This beautifully modeled terracotta head still preserved some of its original pigment: below the crown on the far right side, and on the curly locks on the left, there are remains of the once bright red paint. The face, framed with curls, has a prominent nose, full lips, rounded cheeks, and heavy eyelids.

The most striking element of this piece, however, is not the face, but the tall, elaborate headdress sitting atop the head. The headdress is comprised of rows of leaves topped with a great palmette; there is a large fragmentary flower at the junction of the lower part of the headdress and the palmette, which may have been a type of pansy.