Originally listed at $1,800...

Ancient Greece, Tanagra, Hellenistic Period, ca. 3rd century BCE. A stunning pottery female, boasting expertly rendered and impressively preserved details all enveloped in liberal remains of white pigment. Standing contrapposto atop a rectangular plinth, the elegant figure is draped in a himation and chiton that cascade in multitudes of billowing folds down her slender body and wrap around her sloped shoulders. Her centrally parted coiffure is pulled back to the nape of her neck, nicely framing her delicately modeled face, which is crowned by a double-banded tiara. Size: 2.3" L x 2" W x 5.8" H (5.8 cm x 5.1 cm x 14.7 cm)

During the Hellenistic Period, Greeks had access knowledge about the past through institutions like the Library of Alexandria, creating a sense of history and connection to the Greeks who had come before them. Prominent Hellenistic art collectors commissioned pieces based on public statues from the earlier Classical Period, and smaller, more available art forms like this sculpture echoed the naturalistic, detailed classical style. Terracotta figures like this one have been found in private dwellings where they may have been part of a shrine or had a religious purpose. Others decorate tombs and sanctuaries - in Tanagra, the site that this style of figure is named for, some graves have up to a dozen of these statuettes. Perhaps they represented mourners, dressed in finery to attend a funeral.

'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 mould 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.'

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-George R. Francouer collection, acquired from Royal Athena Gallery, New York, USA in 1958

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#174666

Professionally repaired with some break lines visible and light restoration in areas. Areas of loss to verso and minor loss near leg on front. Visible adhesive on plinth. Chip to top of head and expected nicks and abrasions throughout, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with impressively preserved details and liberal remains of pigment.