Terracotta Votary Figurine

Terracotta Votary Figurine

Description:

Terracotta figurine of a woman with hands held between her breasts, probably a votary or a goddess; hand-made with applied details; solid cylindrical body splaying at the hollow base, with added pellet breasts and hair/head-dress; the arms are held out from the body but curve inwards to meet between the breasts; on her forehead is a thick, striped diadem, on each side of which are thick curls of hair falling to the shoulders, all modelled from a single strip of clay attached to the head; two round pellets of clay, with traces of red paint, at the junction of the hair and diadem seem to be ears; a string hanging between the breasts represents some form of pendant; made of buff gritty clay decorated with black and red paint: stripes on the body, arms and hands, and also on the hair, headdress; eyes and cheeks also detailed in paint.


Dimensions: Height: 13.40 centimetres


Object Type: figure


Techniques: handmade; painted

Period:

Archaic II

Date:

700 - 500 BC

Collection:

British Museum

Provenance:

Amathus

Accession Number:

1894,1101.570