Detail of a Terracotta Statuette of a Draped Goddess in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, November 2010

Terracotta statuette of a draped goddess

Period: Classical

Date: late 5th–4th century B.C.

Culture: Greek

Medium: terracotta

Dimensions: Overall: 14 3/4 x 5 1/2 x 4in. (37.5 x 14 x 10.2cm)

Classification: Terracottas

Credit Line: Gift of Robin Symes, in memory of Christo Michailidis, 2000

Accession Number: 2000.163

Description:

A lack of preserved attributes makes the identification of this majestic female figure elusive. She may have held a cornucopia, which would identify her as the personification of good fortune, Agathe Tyche. Alternatively, she could represent a youthful goddess such as Persephone, the daughter of Demeter.

The statuesque figure echoes monumental sculpture in marble and bronze of the time. Extensive reworking of the clay after it was pressed in a mold suggests that this fine terracotta is a singleton, not a mass-produced object.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/1300...