Greece, Archaic Period, ca. 6th century BCE. A mold-made votive head and torso of a woman. She is portrayed as nude aside from a polos crown over her long hair. The Greeks adopted the polos from the ancient Near East and by the Archaic Period, it signified the mother goddesses Rhea, Hera, and Cybele. This excellent example has the classic form of the Archaic face - realistic, but not yet showing the individualized portrayals from the Classical era. She was probably at one time painted brightly. The bust may have been part of a larger statue or set atop something else decoratively. Size: 5.4" W x 11.1" H (13.7 cm x 28.2 cm); 27.5" H (69.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Votive objects from Archaic Greece are a fascinating reminder of L. P. Hartley's famous quote, "The past is a different country, they do things differently there." Archaic Greeks believed that anything they admired or enjoyed could be given as a gift to the gods. Many of these items were replicated in terracotta or bronze to be given as a sign of devotion, and, like this one, have found their way to the present day, a reminder of the form of ancient devotion.

Provenance: private New York, USA collection

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#134565

Piece is a fragment as shown, lost below the mid-torso. Arms have been repaired. Nice deposits on surface.