Antefix in the Form of a Maiden
Unknown Artist
late 500s–early 400s BCE
Medium
Painted terracotta
Dimensions
h. 21.9 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Barbara S. Robinson and Family
Accession Number
2024.56
About this artwork
Staring out with almond-shaped eyes and enigmatic smile, this brightly painted female head hides a rounded back made to serve an important function. She is a molded terracotta antefix, made to cap an open-ended roof tile along the sloping edge of a wooden building. Depending on the size of the structure it adorned, this antefix may have sat alongside dozens of others, likely all similar in form and painted decoration, and perhaps accompanied by additional polychrome architectural sculpture. Some...