Archaic II

'Astarte Terracotta Figure'

Terracotta naked female figure ('Astarte' type) with hands holding breasts; made in a one-sided mould with a flat, undecorated back, decorated in black, red and ochre-yellow paint; the rough details suggest multiple use of the mould; her long, shoulder-length hair falls in three tresses each side of her face and is finished in black paint; slighly rounded, fleshy face with a pointed nose; eyes and eyebrows are rendered in black paint, her lips in red; around her neck are two necklaces, one a choker of small beads, the other a pendant - now broken away - supported by a more loosely hanging chord; the large hands, fingers roughly detailed and painted in black and red, grip the breasts; her slightly swollen abdomen may suggest pregnancy: above this is an arc of red and white paint possibly indicating the iliac muscle; her pudenda are depicted as a black triangle of paint; feet schematically rendered, but some digits are shown; along the outside of her legs is a ladder pattern, while most of the body is covered in an ochre-yellow wash covering the orange-buff clay. Dimensions: Height: 13.50 centimetres Object Type: figure Techniques: painted; mould-made