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Unknown Maker, Greek

Head of a woman

Maker

Unknown Maker, Greek

Culture

Greek

Title

Head of a woman

Period

Ancient

Year

ca. 420 BCE

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

island marble

Geography

Archaeological Site: Athens, said to be from Athens

Dimensions

25.7 x 18.6 x 22.2 cm (10 1/8 x 7 5/16 x 8 3/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Museum Works of Art Fund

Object Number

55.027

Type

Publications

Exhibition History

Ancient Greek and Roman Galleries
Sep 22, 2010

Label copy

Rarely does an object from antiquity survive in its original condition. The lips, eyes, and hair of this head of a woman were once painted, but the pigments have worn away over the centuries. A diadem or crown, perhaps of silver or gold, would have been fastened to the hair through the drilled holes visible behind the temples. This head was probably once part of a statue group from the pediment of a Greek temple. A viewer in antiquity would have seen it from below and from some distance. Vivid paint and a metallic diadem would have rendered the head more visually coherent and lifelike from afar.

An Exhibition of Classical Antiquities
Sep 01, 1981 – Apr 01, 1982

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Greek
Head of a woman, ca. 420 BCE
Marble
25.7 x 18.6 x 22.2 cm (10 1/8 x 7 5/16 x 8 3/4 inches)
Museum Works of Art Fund 55.027

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