227 - Greek female figurine; Tanagra, Boeotia, 3rd century B.C.

Greek female figurine; Tanagra, Boeotia, 3rd century B.C. Terracotta. It has been restored along a fracture line located on the neck. Measurements: 18.5 cm; 25 cm (including base). Provenance: Family bequest of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. An archaeological collection assembled beginning in the 1950s by successive generations of the family through acquisitions at European galleries and auction houses. This piece belonged to a private French collection. Female terracotta sculpture dating from the 3rd century B.C. and originating from Tanagra, in Boeotia (Greece). This type of terracotta figure from the Greek period was used both as offerings in temples and sanctuaries and as part of burial goods. The earliest Greek sculptures (9th century B.C.) were small human figures made from malleable materials such as clay, ivory, or wax. It was not until the Archaic period (7th and 6th centuries B.C.) that the Greeks began working with stone; though other materials—primarily pottery, due to the boom in this industry—continued to be used for small pieces intended as offerings in temples or as part of burial goods. These types of pieces were modeled in clay and decorated with white or black engobes (colored liquid clay), and then fired in a kiln. The most common subject was the human figure—not so much deities, as in the case of large pieces, but rather figures from everyday life, as is the case with this statuette.