KM185 (Early Roman Western Asia Minor Terracotta Figurine of Female) [permalink]
Type
Inventoried Object
Technique
Solid molded. Front of the head is carefully sculpted but the back is handmade. While details are blunt from both a worn impression and poor preservation, overall handling is clearly careless. Coroplast made no effort to clean up errant clay bits or to retouch. Outer margins of coiffure along seam are very roughly finished as though rubbed out before molded piece was fired. Earrings added after molding.
cf. Acheilara20052006, pp. 98–99, 101–102, 601, nos. 1104–1106 (similar hair with rectangular crown on top; Mytilene, 1st century CE)
Comparanda
cf. LFRTC3, p. 144, no. E 37, pl. 182:c (from Smyrna, 65–70 CE), p. 204, no. E 74, pl. 286:b (“La diadème est formé de trois rangs des rouleaux stylisés”; from Smyrna, 115–130 CE)
Comparanda
cf. TroySuppl3, pp. 36, 40, 54, 137, no. 280, pl. LV (“style of mid-first century A.D.”)
Comparanda
sim. BMTC3, p. 135, no. 2326, pl. 60 (especially flamboyant overall but globular curls like KM185; Smyrna, late 1st century CE)
Comparanda
sim. Dufkova1974, p. 160, no. T 120, pl. 43 (“Flavian coiffure”; from Cyme or Smyrna, end 1st-beginning 2nd century)
Comparanda
sim. Kleiner1984, pp. 258–259, pl. 50 (NAM 4910; “flavische Frisur”)
Comparanda
sim. LeyenaarPlaisier1979, vol. 1, p. 182, no. 428; vol. 3, pl. 68:428 (Rijksmuseum, Leiden; purchased at Smyrna, Trajanic)
Comparanda
sim. Richter1960, p. 38, figs. 162, 163, 167, pls. XXXIV, XXXV (Antikensammlungen, Munich and Akademisches Kunstmuseum, Bonn; fig. 163: “said to be from Smyrna”; fig. 167: “vermutlich Kleinasien . . . Flavian coiffure”)
Comparanda
sim. Schurmann1989, p. 148, no. 518, pl. 90 (hair in strands; Badisches Landesmuseum, Karlsruhe; from region between Smyrna and Ephesos, end of 1st–first quarter 2nd century)
Description
Head of female from small figurine. Head tilted slightly to left, which implies leaning stance. Elongated face has delicate, rounded features: puffy forehead, cheeks and chin; narrow eyes; pointed nose; fleshy, slightly parted lips. Neck is thick but tapers downward. Small ears wear large discoid earrings. Hair rises up in lofty, arching arrangement like oversized stephanê but taller, almost pyramidal. Overall shape of hair probably wider in original design, but alteration to prototype seems to have generated idiosyncratic form (see below). Coiffure has thick, rounded strands around temples and at least seven large, spherical, solid curls like fruit ris-ing up from forehead. Behind on crown of head is thick ring with small, rounded projections representing a braided bun, wreath, or both. While design of face and hair are simplistic, this figurine portrays a youthful, serene woman with an elegant, even mannered appearance.
Fabric, firing, surface
Fabric: 5YR 6/6, reddish yellow. Slip: 10R 5/6, red. Very hard, fine clay with frequent small, well-sorted, rounded, white (lime) inclusions, slightly golden mi-caceous, and rare, spherical voids. Thin, even, dull slip, preserved in large patches.
Preservation comment
One large fragment preserves entire face and coiffure with nose and eyes damaged. Head broken from body at middle to lower neck. Several large surface cracks; slight, extensive abrasion, pitting, and flaking. Heavy, sparse patches of encrustation. Spots of black discoloration on front hair and back.
Published as
Linardatos2022, pp. 1228-1229, 1231-1232, no. 947, fig. 27.1
