In ancient Greece, terracotta figurines functioned primarily as votive offerings in graves and sanctuaries.
Two glazed terracotta female dancers-ca. 3rd-2nd c. BC-Greek from Centuripe, Enna province, Sicily @britishmuseum
Two glazed terracotta female dancers-ca. 3rd-2nd c. BC-Greek from Centuripe, Enna province, Sicily @britishmuseum
The bare breast of the figurine identifies her as a dancing maenad, a female follower of Dionysus.
Terracotta figurine of a dancing maenad w/ traces original polychromy-3rd c. BC Greek from Taranto, South Italy @metmuseum
Terracotta figurine of a dancing maenad w/ traces original polychromy-3rd c. BC Greek from Taranto, South Italy @metmuseum
Is she a dancer or a captive Amazon about to be sacrificed at an altar? She wears a Phrygian cap & boots while her breast is bare suggesting she might be an Amazon.
Terracotta figurine of dancer/captive-Greek, Boeotian-ca.330–300 BC @YaleArtGallery
Terracotta figurine of dancer/captive-Greek, Boeotian-ca.330–300 BC @YaleArtGallery
Two exquisite Amazon figurines holding missing shield & sword-both wear Phrygian cap, short skirt & boots-polychromed terracotta-ca. 300-280 BC-Greek-South Italian, Canosan @PUArtMuseum
A wonderfully preserved polychromed terracotta figurine depicting Aphrodite with her son Eros whom she entertains with a toy-top-ca. 3rd-4th c. BC-Tanagra, Greece @state_hermitage
Can't help thinking this realistic figurine of Aphrodite & Eros was modeled after a Greek domestic scene with a loving mother carrying & entertaining her son or daughter [1]
A beautifully expressive terracotta of 2 seated female figures, perhaps Demeter & Persephone. Older woman [right] wears a chiton, her hand rests on her right bare breast while leaning towards her young companion-Hellenistic c. 100 BC from Myrina (Aeolis) Asia Minor @britishmuseum
One of my favorite terracotta figures is this young couple on their nuptial bed capturing both the excitement & apprehension of young lovers on their wedding night-Hellenistic 2nd c. BC-found in a Myrina tomb, island of Lemnos @MuseeLouvre
He is wearing a Kausia, a flat,brimmed hat that originated in Macedonia-the figurine has traces of original polychrome [red/pink/yellow] [1]
This stunning terracotta example of a standing female figurine wears the typical folded chiton & himation, though her Tholia or high, conical broad-brimmed sun hat is broken off, her polychrome is almost intact-Boeotian, Hellenistic 2nd c. BC @MuseeLouvre
The ancient Greek artisan who created the terracotta figurines was called Koroplast, from koros, boy+ plastēs molder, creator.
Terracotta fragment of an Ephebos ἔφηβος head-Hellenistic, from Smyrna, Anatolia @MuseeLouvre
Terracotta fragment of an Ephebos ἔφηβος head-Hellenistic, from Smyrna, Anatolia @MuseeLouvre
