Greek Boeotian Terracotta Female Figure

Central Greece, Boeotia, ca. 4th to 3rd century BCE. An expertly rendered, hollow-cast pottery female figure with a delicately modeled face, a centrally-parted coiffure that is pulled back from her face in lobes, held in place by her diadem, and resolves in a lovely chignon. The figure is rendered in a standing yet dynamic dance-like pose with bent limbs and her head cocked to one side. Her body is elegantly draped in a voluminous himation over her chiton; she holds the folds together at her right hip. A beautiful example with nice remains of original white slip. Special figures like this example would have been taken to temples and placed as votive offerings. Size: 7.625" H (19.4 cm); 8.125" H (20.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Tanagras are named after the site in Boeotia, central Greece, where thousands of similar figures were unearthed in the early 1870s. Figures of men, children, and comic actors were also found at Tanagra, but standing female figures are the most numerous. The chief appeal of Tanagra figures lies in their exceptional artistic quality usually considered to be the finest of all Greek figurines. The ladies are normally depicted in casual poses and their clothes, which usually consist of a thinner undergarment, the chiton, worn beneath a thicker cloak or himation, are typically pulled and twisted in pleasing patterns which emphasize the form of the figure beneath. Most Tanagra figures are mold made and sometimes have a vent cut in the back to ensure even distribution of heat in the firing. After firing, the figure was coated in a white slip, often a solution of chalk or white clay, and then colors were added on top. The artists who produced these figures were known as coroplasts, literally 'modelers of girls.'

Similar examples may be found in Reynold Higgins' "Tanagra and the Figurines" (Princeton University Press, 1987).

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex George R. Francoeur, Chicago, USA, acquired Charles Ede Ltd., London, UK, 1994

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#159286
Condition Report: Head possibly reattached though difficult to discern. Small chip to lower front section of himation. Possible repair to lower section of her garment, but if so, well done. Expected surface wear commensurate with age. Some pigment loss, but nice traces of white and red pigment remain. Scattered mineral deposits grace the surface as well.