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An arrangement of terracotta pieces that resemble two legs and two arms that are attached by rope to a headed torso. The limbs are a subdued red color while the torso is tan with dark discoloration.

A flat arrangement of terracotta pieces on a white background. The pieces resemble two legs whose feet point outward and two arms that point down and are attached by rope to a headed torso. The arms and legs each have a small hole at the top. The limbs are a subdued red color while the torso is tan with dark discoloration. The head has a thick neck and a flat head. The bottom of the torso has three points going downward.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1925.30.84
Title
Dancing Woman with Articulated Limbs
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture, statuette
Date
5th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Europe, Greece
Period
Classical period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/292149

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Terracotta
Technique
Mixed technique
Dimensions
13 × 3 cm (5 1/8 × 1 3/16 in.)
Height includes the legs.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Joseph C. Hoppin
Accession Year
1925
Object Number
1925.30.84
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Mostly complete figurine with worn features and some dark accretions. Proper right hand is missing.

A dancing woman or girl with articulated limbs. She wears a polos (or cylindrical headdress) over long, loose hair that falls down the sides of her neck to the back. Long triangular face with large eyes, and a long thin neck. She wears a short chiton or tunic with decoration in the form of short, vertical indentations at the hem (perhaps a fringe). Her arms and legs, which were made separately from the body, are narrow, simply formed, and straight. Proper left hand is open with straight fingers. Feet seem bare and point down slightly.

Would have been originally painted, but only small traces of white ground are extant.

Solid. Mold-made body with modeled front and flat back. Handmade arms and legs, with incised detail. Shoulders and hips are pierced horizontally for attachment of the arms and legs. A larger piercing at the top of the head (off-center) must have held a peg attached to string that would have allowed the handler to dangle the figurine and make her dance. Alternatively, the figurine can be handled with the thumb and index finger placed around the waist (which is flat and smooth); this results in the arms being held aloft.

Clay is light reddish yellow, finely levigated, with no evident inclusions. Medium to hard-fired.

Commentary
Because these figurines have limbs that move they are often called "dolls." Where they? Perhaps! Children play with all sorts of things, even when they are not supposed to. Did they function exclusively as dolls? Unlikely. Since they probably represent ritual dancers, they could have had a more "serious" religious function. Were these uses mutually exclusive? Not at all! The beauty of figurines is that they could have fulfilled many different roles depending on who held them, and when, and where. Indeed, their roles are still evolving, as today they work as objects that allow us to learn about the lived lives of past people.


Similar examples said to be from Corinth. See, for instance, 1865,0720.36 at the British Museum.

Related Works

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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