Terracotta head of a woman

Terracotta head of a woman

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Although the head might be that of a youth, the combination of earrings, full hair, and elaborate headdress characterizes this as a woman. Given the variety of headdresses that occur on Tarentine figures, the significance of this one is likely quite specific.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Terracotta head of a womanTerracotta head of a womanTerracotta head of a womanTerracotta head of a womanTerracotta head of a woman

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.