Magna Graecia, Apulia, Canosan Hellenistic Period, ca. 3rd century BCE. A fantastic large votive figure of a standing woman, probably a goddess. Canosa, or Canosion as it was known then, was a major center of the ceramics and pottery trade when it was a Greek polis. It produced truly unique pottery, completely different in decoration style (although not in shape) from earlier and neighboring traditions. The clay is buff, with the decoration applied directly to it without the use of slip. This body was painted with pink, blue, white, and a reddish orange pigment. The chiton is pink, while the himation is blue; the hair is red and there are remains of white around the face. Size: 4.1" L x 5" W x 13.95" H (10.4 cm x 12.7 cm x 35.4 cm)

Large female figures like this one played an interesting role in Canosan funerary practices. They were placed into Canosan tombs as replacements for large red-figure kraters from the century before, but first, mourners carried them in funerary processions and kept them present while they carried out rituals at the tomb. Although almost all of the statues known from Canosan tombs are women, they seem to represent goddesses or mourners, rather than the gender of the deceased - in this society, young women played a major role as mourners. The Canosans, like other members of Classical society, believed that the spirits of the dead remained at the tomb and watched over the living. Canosan tombs were re-opened frequently to bury members of the same lineage, and so these figures were probably reused as well, maintaining the connection between the living and the dead.

Provenance: private Carlton Collection, Los Angeles, California, USA

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide to most countries and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#122074

Repaired from multiple large pieces at neck and across the back, with some overpainting on the neck and possibly very lightly on the front of the robes. Light deposits, including manganese, over much of the surface.