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Source Description
One of the most flourishing workshops for Hellenistic terracottas was located on the western coast of Asia Minor at Myrina. This elegant Nike is a good representation of this fabric. The complicated twisted pose of this figure and the agitation of the wind-blown garment are distinctly Hellenistic and look to the "Winged Victory of Samothrace" created later in the 2nd century BCE (Louvre Museum, Paris). Behind each arm is a slit where wings would once have been attached. Although generally referred to as Tanagra figurines after the most famous findspot, Tanagra (modern Schimatari) in Boeotia, Greece, statuettes of this type have been found at other sites in the ancient world, including Myrina and Smyrna (modern Izmir) in Asia Minor. The most common forms of the statuettes depict young women sitting, standing, or in the process of graceful movement, but there are also examples showing men or children. The statuettes were used as grave offerings, votives, decorative objects, and perhaps toys. The hair, clothing, skin, and jewelry of the pieces were originally painted, although most of the colors are presently faded.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
34282
label
Nike
core
obj
dtoType
object
citationUrl
pageCount
2
Source metadata
id
34282
sourceUrl
contentType
object
stage
normalized
title
Nike
description
One of the most flourishing workshops for Hellenistic terracottas was located on the western coast of Asia Minor at Myrina. This elegant Nike is a good representation of this fabric. The complicated twisted pose of this figure and the agitation of the wind-blown garment are distinctly Hellenistic and look to the "Winged Victory of Samothrace" created later in the 2nd century BCE (Louvre Museum, Paris). Behind each arm is a slit where wings would once have been attached. Although generally referred to as Tanagra figurines after the most famous findspot, Tanagra (modern Schimatari) in Boeotia, Greece, statuettes of this type have been found at other sites in the ancient world, including Myrina and Smyrna (modern Izmir) in Asia Minor. The most common forms of the statuettes depict young women sitting, standing, or in the process of graceful movement, but there are also examples showing men or children. The statuettes were used as grave offerings, votives, decorative objects, and perhaps toys. The hair, clothing, skin, and jewelry of the pieces were originally painted, although most of the colors are presently faded.
provenance
Joseph Brummer, by 1925, [mode of acquisition unknown]; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1925, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
date
first half 2nd century BCE (Hellenistic)
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Ceramics
figurines
imageCount
2
pageCount
2
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
27.7
height
13.4
depth
11.2
dimensionsRaw
10 7/8 x 5 1/4 x 4 7/16 in. (27.7 x 13.4 x 11.2 cm)
Source extras
cul
Greek
style
Hellenistic
med
terracotta, mold made; painted
creator_ids
6256
collection_ids
GRC
exhibition_ids
170
2237
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
mediaId
b031eba24411f576
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
2
type
photo
mediaId
46fb2427b7f3ffce
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no