Etruscan Terracotta Banqueteer

4th century BC. A reclining lady with an elaborate headdress and almond-shaped eyes characteristic of the Etruscan style; she leans on her left elbow, with her left hand resting in front of her stomach, holding a bowl, her right arm extends by her side to rest on top of her hip, the hand holding food; the back of the piece is flat and with a hole in the middle, indicating it was not originally made to be viewed in the round. See for discussion Bundrick S.D. Athens, Etruria and the many lives of the Greek figured pottery, London-Madison, 2019, especially pp.64ff. 130 grams, 13.5cm (5 1/4"). From a private Netherlands collection; previously in an old collection since before 1980. The Etruscans were strongly concerned with the afterlife. The dead were often represented as figures reclining at a banquet in their best clothes and makeup. The Etruscans believed their dead were constantly thirsty, therefore figures were often created holding bowls for offerings such as this example.
Condition Report: Fine condition.