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Source Description

The proportions and the fine rendering of idealized features all mark this head as being in the Classical style. Her almond-shaped eyes are set beneath the protruding brow, from which extends a thin, elegant nose. Her mouth is small and tightly closed, but indentations are the corners of her lips extenuate the fleshiness of her cheeks. The undulating waves of her hair are also idealized as seen in the neat symmetry of the centrally parted style and precision with which each wave is produced, particularly the tendrils, or Venus-rings, that graze the nape of her neck. She wears simple disc earrings with a pyramidal pendant. Votive offerings in the form of heads are typical dedications from the Etruscan sanctuaries of central Italy and became widespread from the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE. Most votive heads are made using two molds—one for the face and one for the back of the head. The two clay halves were joined and the features were reworked with a modeling tool to create more individuality. The heads are meant to be viewed frontally, with little attention to detail paid to the back of the sculpture. Often times these heads were represented with a simple veil draped over the back of the head. The style of most Etruscan votive heads clearly demonstrates the influence of Classical Greek sculpture (480-323 BCE), a period characterized by a heightened interest in representing the ideal human form.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
26951
label
Female Votive Head
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
pageCount
8
Source metadata
id
26951
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Female Votive Head
description
The proportions and the fine rendering of idealized features all mark this head as being in the Classical style. Her almond-shaped eyes are set beneath the protruding brow, from which extends a thin, elegant nose. Her mouth is small and tightly closed, but indentations are the corners of her lips extenuate the fleshiness of her cheeks. The undulating waves of her hair are also idealized as seen in the neat symmetry of the centrally parted style and precision with which each wave is produced, particularly the tendrils, or Venus-rings, that graze the nape of her neck. She wears simple disc earrings with a pyramidal pendant. Votive offerings in the form of heads are typical dedications from the Etruscan sanctuaries of central Italy and became widespread from the 4th to 3rd centuries BCE. Most votive heads are made using two molds—one for the face and one for the back of the head. The two clay halves were joined and the features were reworked with a modeling tool to create more individuality. The heads are meant to be viewed frontally, with little attention to detail paid to the back of the sculpture. Often times these heads were represented with a simple veil draped over the back of the head. The style of most Etruscan votive heads clearly demonstrates the influence of Classical Greek sculpture (480-323 BCE), a period characterized by a heightened interest in representing the ideal human form.
provenance
Kaufmann’s Department Store, Pittsburgh, [date and mode of acquisition unknown] [1]; Mrs. Robert M. Weidenhammer, Rockville, MD, 1966, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1992, by gift.[1] illustrated in a notice for the Kaufmann's sale printed for 4 March 1966, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, page 10
date
4th century BCE (Classical-early Hellenistic)
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
votives
heads
sculptures
imageCount
8
pageCount
8
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
26.5
height
15.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 10 7/16 x W: 6 1/8 in. (26.5 x 15.5 cm)
Source extras
cul
Etruscan
med
terracotta, mold made
creator_ids
6291
collection_ids
GRC
exhibition_ids
none
Page inventory
seq
1
type
photo
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5ebd28d575f12d18
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no
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no
seq
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type
photo
mediaId
af928df58ec4b5ca
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no
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no
seq
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type
photo
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c131a2c0e5d375d2
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no
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no
seq
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type
photo
mediaId
a0a8162d8bd19a59
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no
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no
seq
5
type
photo
mediaId
870c4729144dc5f7
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no
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no
seq
6
type
photo
mediaId
1227ac6cc5159537
hasOcr
no
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no
seq
7
type
photo
mediaId
ea5b382f09ac8fc9
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no
seq
8
type
photo
mediaId
e796f357c4cab826
hasOcr
no
hasDescription
no