Roman Terracotta Head Collection

2nd century AD. A group of votive terracotta figure heads comprising: two female heads with Graeco-Egyptian coiffures, one with horned headgear, the third with hair arranged in a series of thick plokamoi, bound together at the back of the neck, both with round earrings attached to the lobes; the head of a Kanephoros (basket-bearer), the head crowned with a wreath decorated with a rhomboid pattern; each mounted on a custom-made display stand. Cf. Savvopoulos, K., 'Popular divine imagery in Hellenistic and Roman Alexandria. The terracotta figurines collection of the Patriarchal Sacristy in Alexandria' in The Annual of the British School at Athens, 2019, pp.1-52, figs.36, 42-45. 172 grams total, 49-77mm high (300 grams total, 8.2-10.6cm including stands) (2 - 3 (3 1/4 - 4 1/4)"). North London gentleman, in storage since the 1970s. Property of a West London gentleman. These statuettes are all votive pieces linked to the cult of Egyptian deities, like Harpokrates, inside the Roman Empire, and are likely a product of an Alexandrian workshop. The rich and enormous female coiffures, arranged in high propolomas and divided in plokamoi, are noteworthy, reflecting the Graeco-Roman mode of the time. Very rare and exceptional is the head of the Kanephoros, who originally should have had both hands raised in order to support the kalathos(basket) containing pine-cones and a large cobra. The cobra possibly represents an Isis-Renenutet symbol typical for the Isis cult and imperial estates. [3, No Reserve]
Condition Report: Fine condition.