Limestone head of a female votary

Limestone head of a female votary

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Like the omission of a wreath for male figures, the absence of the veil could indicate a date at the end of the Hellenistic period, as proposed by Joan Connelly (“mid–late first century B.C.”). The head was turned slightly to its right. There is a fold of skin on the neck. The small mouth is closed, but the expression hints at a smile.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Limestone head of a female votaryLimestone head of a female votaryLimestone head of a female votaryLimestone head of a female votaryLimestone head of a female votary

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.