Italy, Etruscan, ca.6th to 5th century BCE. A mold-made ornamental element for the roof of a temple presenting a relief of a female face with almond-shaped eyes beneath arched brows, a prominent nose, and closed lips, this striking visage adorned with a long coiffure featuring crimped bangs across her forehead and large round earrings decorated with a dotted pattern. Black and russet painted details embellish the nicely modeled head which presents an overall creamy,beige complexion. Size: 5.75" W x 7.125" H (14.6 cm x 18.1 cm)

Roof tiles that ran along the eaves of ancient Greek and Etruscan buildings often ended in upright, painted, mold-made terracotta members called antefixes which usually took the form of either human or mythological heads. These antefixes had three functions. First, they concealed the termini of convex tiles and thus protected them from bad weather. In addition, they were part of the architectural decoration. Finally, these visages were believed to possess an apotropaic role, fending off evil and bad luck from temples.

A similar example sold at Christie's London for $20,225 (12,500 GBP) on April 12, 2012, sale 4925, lot 215. See http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/Lot/an-etruscan-terracotta-antefix-circa-6th-5th-century-5546887-details.aspx

Provenance: private Swiss collection

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.

#124182

Losses to tip of the nose and peripheries as shown. Some surface wear with areas of pigment loss and nicks here and there; however, much of the painted detail remains. Metal internal mount for suspension.