SculptureHellenistic4th-2nd century BCE

Mask

4th-2nd century BCE

Description

This small mold-made terracotta head represents the mask of an actor, possibly a slave, from Greek New Comedy. The eyebrows are raised, the nose is short and flat, and the mouth is open. The clay is red-orange, with remains of a white slip.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Mold-made

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Hellenistic

Period

Classical period, Late, to Hellenistic

Century

4th-2nd century BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

H. 3.74 x W. 2.52 cm (1 1/2 x 1 in.)

Provenance

[Fallani, Rome] (by 1951), sold; to the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (1951-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

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