Ancient Greece, Hellenistic period, ca. 3rd to 1st century BCE. A fine mold-made pottery figure seated upon an integral rectangular platform. The man displays a markedly aged appearance, his back hunched forward and his right arm grasping the corner of his seat as if to support his frail stature. A long chiton with two fasteners drapes across his shoulders and slender torso, and his left arm is holding up part of his skirt which would otherwise drag on the ground. The molded and separately-attached head displays a series of fine wrinkles, prominent cheek bones and recessed cheeks, a bulbous nose, sunken and downturned eyes, and furrowed brows in a characteristically-Hellenistic "grotesque" manner. Traces of faded maroon, peach, pink, grey, and black pigmentation are visible and suggest this figure was adorned with vibrant pigments in ancient times. Size: 2.625" W x 4.8" H (6.7 cm x 12.2 cm).

The designation of a figure as a "grotesque" does not denote a revolting or otherwise off-putting presentation but rather one of life-like accuracy. An artist would create grotesque figures to display a heightened sense of realism, sculpting and illustrating features in a lucid manner rather than stylizing the features to make them appear pleasing to the eye. For example, such grotesque features on this statuette include the wrinkled and aged visage, the feeble posture with a bent back, the downturned look of melancholy in his eyes, and the saggy nature of his robes. Though some artists used the maladies and deformations of others to create exaggerated caricatures, others used such negatively-perceived aspects of certain individuals as a means of expressing them in a true-to-life approach.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#136179

Head, neck, and portions of both feet reattached with some light overpainting, resurfacing, and adhesive residue along break lines. Surface wear and abrasions commensurate with age, small nicks to feet, base, body, arms, and head, with fading to some finer details, and losses and fading to most areas of pigmentation. Nice earthen deposits and encrustations throughout.