Published: May 8, 2018 By , ,

Catalogue Entry Photograph of terracotta female figurine, frontal, against a neutral gray background.

This vase is one of a collection of Greek artifacts held by the CU Art Museum.

Gift to CU Classics Department
Transferred to CU Museum of Natural History
Transferred to CU Art Museum (2006)

Height: 8.9 cm 
Width: 3.5 cm
Depth: 2.9 cm
Date: 6th century B.C.E.
Origin: Possibly Laconia (Greece)

Description: Handmade terracotta figurine of a standing female figure. She wears a polos on her head and four rounded disks or balls, perhaps amulets, are added to the front of the chest. 

Additional photos of this object show details of its back and decorative features. 

Discussion

This female terracotta figurine has a cylindrical body that splays slightly at the base. She wears a high hat called a polos. Added to the chest are four circular disks or balls that may represent amulets. The face is pinched and resembles a bird. No findspot is available for the figurine, so its particular origin and function are still in question. It is likely, however, that the figurine was a funerary offering and its general appearance suggests a Boeotian or Laconian origin. 

Female figurines of this date are often dressed in a garment called a peplos and wear a low polos, possibly suggesting an identification as a goddess or priestess. One figurine in the CU Art Museum's collection, a 6th century B.C.E. East Greek figurine, is a female figure holding a bird, perhaps a dove, suggesting an identification as the goddess Aphrodite. In this case, the amulets around the figurine's chest might represent pomegranates, which would suggest that this, too, is a goddess and not a mortal woman. A 6th century B.C.E. Boeotian figurine in the CU Art Museum's collection, on the other hand, wears a polos but has no additional attributes that may suggest a more precise identification. 

For the ancient Greeks, terracotta figurines had a multitude of uses in both domestic and ritual contexts. They could be buried in graves as a gift to the deceased or brought to a temple or sanctuary as a votive offering. Often, they may have simply been household decoration or a small statuette in a domestic shrine. The widespread dissemination of terracotta figurines indicates how popular they were, while their various functions and meanings demonstrate how important they were for the different aspects of ancient Greek life. 

References

  • R.A. Higgins, Greek Terracottas (London: Methuen, 1967): 25-50.
  • Felicity Nicholson, Greek, Etruscan, and Roman Pottery and Small Terracottas: A Brief Guide for the Small Collector ( London: Cory Adams and Mackay Ltd., 1965): 50-54.
  • Chara Tzavella-Evjen, Greek and Roman Vases and Statuettes from the University of Colorado Collection (Athens: Archaiologikon Deltion, 1973): 192-197.