Terracotta statuette of a goddess

ca. Mid 6th Century BCE

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 152

The polos (headdress) with a volute suggests that the figure is a goddess, probably Persephone, queen of the Underworld. Many statuettes of this type wear a necklace with a pomegranate, a symbol of death and rebirth. The great majority of the Boeotian plank-shaped statuettes with known findspots have been discovered in graves, and come primarily from the necropoleis, or cemeteries, of Ritsona, Akraiphia, Tanagra, and Thebes.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Terracotta statuette of a goddess
Date: ca. Mid 6th Century BCE
Culture: Boeotian
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: 6 3/4 × 30 11/16 in. (17.1 × 77.9 cm)
Classification: Terracottas
Credit Line: Gift of André and William Spears, 2024
Object Number: 2024.319.1
Curatorial Department: Greek and Roman Art

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