Etruscan Votive Figure of a Priestess. 4th-2nd century B.C. A bronze statuette of a priestess modelled in the half-round, wearing a loosely draped sleeveless tunic, fastened at the shoulders to form a V-shaped neckline, girdled high under the breasts; her head adorned by a tall three-point diadem, with a large patera in left hand and pyxis in right hand; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. See Brendel, Etruscan Art, p.422, for parallels in the mid second century terracotta sarcophagus of Seianti Thanunia Tlesnasa from Chiusi, now in the British Museum; the diadem in her hair shares similar three-point attributes to the exaggerated diadem on our statuette; the dress is Greek with the tunic (chiton) characteristic of Etruscan and Latin votive bronzes at the same time; see parallel from the Museo archeologico di Verona, Inv. A4,376, published as no.37 in Franzoni, Bronzetti etruschi e italici del museo archeologico di Verona, p.56; this complete example at 7.5cm is of interest as it has a distinct fold across the dress that corresponds to the break on this example; Franzoni notes a bronze from Chiusi of similar type (referenced in St. Etr. XXV, 1957, p.503, fig. 25). 46 grams, 67 mm (121 grams total, 11.3 cm including stand) (2 1/2 in. (4 1/2 in.) Estate of American sculptor, Eleanor Mary Mellon (1894–1979), New York, USA. Myers Fine Art & Antiques, Florida, European & Asian Antiques & Fine Art Auction, on 10 February 2013. Ancient Resource, California, USA, July 2014, item 2147. Private Australian collection. Accompanied by an illustrated two page collector's cataloguing document. Accompanied by a copy of a certificate of authenticity from Gabriel Vandervort of Ancient Resources and a copy of the Myers listing. The patera is a sacrificial saucer-shaped vessel for pouring a libation to the gods or for receiving a libation; the pyxis a cylindrical box for incense with separate lid and somewhat concave walls. For a larger (25.4 cm), highly detailed statuette of this type, including the attributes in her hands, see the second century B.C. statuette in the British Museum that was acquired in 1913 said to be from the Sanctuary of Diana at Nemi (BM No. 1913,0529.1). This type takes many forms; for example, see complete example with a radiant stephane (10.16 cm high) in the British Museum donated by Canon Luc Angelo Bracci in 1856 and said to be from Orvieto (museum number 1856,0815.3; Walters, Catalogue of the Bronzes in the British Museum. Greek, Roman & Etruscan, no.693). Variants include the himation draped towards the other direction: refer Turfa, J. M. and Muskett, G., Catalogue of Etruscan Objects in World Museum, Liverpool (No. B 104, Inv.M8833, p.103). For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price