Head of a Woman
Unknown Artist
4th–7th century
Medium
Earthenware
Dimensions
Overall: 3 1/8 x 2 3/16 x 1 15/16 in. (8 x 5.5 x 5 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1925
Accession Number
25.10.23.43
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate earthenware *Head of a Woman*, crafted by an unknown Coptic artist between the 4th and 7th centuries, offers a glimpse into early Christian Egypt. Measuring just over three inches tall, this small ceramic sculpture captures a stylized female face with simplified features—likely exaggerated eyes and a serene expression—typical of Coptic art. Produced during a transformative era when Christianity flourished in Egypt amid fading Roman influence, such objects were often part of larger figurines used in domestic, funerary, or devotional contexts. Coptic ceramics like this one highlig...