A GREEK BOETIAN TERRACOTTA TANAGRA OF A DRAPED WOMAN

Circa Hellenistic Period, 300 - 200 BC.A well formed hollow-cast terracotta female figure with delicately modelled face, a centrally parted coiffure that is pulled back from her face in lobes which is held in place by a diadem and resolved in a chignon. The figure is positioned in a dynamic pose, with her limbs and head positioned to one side. She elegantly holds a fan in her right hand. Excellent traces of original paint remaining.Terracotta figurines have been excavated from the ancient Boetian city Tanagra in central Greece. Figures such as this are an iconic subject of Tanagra modellers (also known as coroplasts), in which women were usually depicted in scenes of thought and reflection. Unlike Tanagra figures of the earlier Classical period, these female figures do not represent goddesses, rather they project mortal, ordinary women. These figures were likely used as votive figures, placed in burials or even kept as decorative adornment to one’s home. For similar see Robinson, Edward. 1907. "New Greek and Roman Acquisitions: I. Terracottas." Bulletin of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2(1): pp. 5–9. Richter, Gisela M. A. 1908. "Greek and Roman Terracottas in The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The International Studio, 36: pp. 67–72.Karoglou, Kyriaki. 2016. "The Collection of Greek Terracotta Figurines at The Metropolitan Museum of Art." Les Carnets de l’ACoSt, 14: p. 5, n. 26 [p. 8], fig. 8a.Size: L:200mm / W:65mm ; 215gProvenance: Private US collection, New York, 1989.