Terracotta statuette of a goddess
Unknown Artist
mid to late 2nd century BCE
Medium
Terracotta
Dimensions
24 13/16 in. (63 cm)
Classification
Terracottas
Culture
Greek
Department
Greek and Roman Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Thomas Colville, 2016
Accession Number
2016.496.1
Tags
Art Historical Context
This striking terracotta statuette of a goddess, standing nearly 25 inches (63 cm) tall, hails from mid- to late 2nd-century BCE Greece, a vibrant era of the Hellenistic period when art flourished with emotional expressiveness and realism. Crafted from fired clay—a favored medium for its affordability and versatility—terracotta figures like this were often produced in molds for mass devotion, then hand-finished with painted details now faded by time. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2016 by Thomas Colville, it resides in the Greek and Roman Art department, exemplifying everyday sac...