Terracotta head with wreath - image 1

Archaic II

Terracotta head with wreath

The head originally wore a large wreath that is now mostly broken off. In Cypriot limestone sculpture, representations of wreathed figures—usually male—are one of the most common types. They probably have to do with observances connected with fertility. This head is a fine example in terracotta; it would have been part of a full-length statue. H. 8 3/4 in. (22.2 cm)

Date

600 - 480 BC

Accession No.

74.51.1451

Collection

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provenance

  • From CyprusSaid to be from Idalion (Potamia)

References

  • Cesnola, Luigi Palma di. 1894. A Descriptive Atlas of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Vol. 2. pl. LVII.479, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company.Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1895. The Terracottas and Pottery of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in Halls 4 and 15. no. 113, p. 11, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 1459, p. 256, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Vassos, Gloria Merker, and Joan R. Mertens. 2016. The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art : Terracottas. no. 70, pp. 45, 254, Online Publication, [CD-Rom 2004], New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.