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HOME :
Classical Antiquities :
Greco-Roman Art : Terracotta Sculpture of a Head
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Terracotta Sculpture of a Head - P.1274
Origin: Sinai, Egypt
Circa: 200
BC
to 200
AD
Collection: Classical
Medium: Terracotta
$650.00
Location: United States
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| Photo Gallery |
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| Description |
Since the dawn of time, man has offered votives
to win the benign favor of his gods. Sometimes
these were perishable gifts of food, or wine, or
livestock. At other times they were figures of
stone, metal, or clay--votives of a more
enduring nature. The art of the sculpted clay
votive reached its peak in the Hellenistic age,
when the artistic influence of Classical Greece
spread throughout the Mediterranean and Near
East. In and around Alexandria--where the
Olympian gods were mixed freely with those of
ancient Egypt--the temples were filled to
overflowing with lively depictions of deities,
royalty, and ordinary folk. As gifts to the gods,
these could not be destroyed, so periodically the
votives were buried in pits to make room for new
offerings. When we look upon their features
today--sometimes agelessly beautiful, divine,
regal or aloof, sometimes comic or infinitely
wise--we come face to face with the human
past.
- (P.1274)
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