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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1997.115
Title
Head of a Female Figure
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
530-500 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Etruria?
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Etruscan
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/229521

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Terracotta with pigment
Dimensions
7.3 x 5.4 cm (2 7/8 x 2 1/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Robert E. Hecht, Jr., New York (by 1997), sold; to Harvard University Art Museums, 1997.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, David M. Robinson Fund
Accession Year
1997
Object Number
1997.115
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Fragment (head) of a small terracotta statue of a female figure. The figure's large, almond-shaped eyes, nose, and lips are well articulated. The facial features are emphasized through painting: the skin tone is painted with a darker flesh tone; whites of the eyes are painted white; a dark brown paint outlines the eyes and forms the eye brows. On the nape of the neck hang eight articulated locks of hair; a fillet encircles the head. Locks in front of the proper left ear are painted in dark brown; traces of paint remain on the proper right side, from which the locks are broken. There is a hole in the top of the head.

A modern drilled hole is present in the base of the neck. A sample from this site was taken for thermoluminescence dating, which was performed in January 1997. The results of this test provided an estimated that the sample was last fired 2650 years ago +/- 450 years (giving a range of about 1100-200 BCE); this result was consistent with an ancient date.

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu