Terracotta head of a man

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The beardless man is shown wearing a band around his forehead and earrings. The head was made in a mold but articulated in several ways. The eyes and eyebrows were executed freehand, while the hair was stamped. Such terracotta sculptures of the late seventh and early sixth century B.C. have come to light at various sanctuaries, notably those at Idalion, Tamassos, and Salamis. The style of this piece is quite different from that of the adjoining two and may indicate a local workshop.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art