An Etruscan Terra Cotta Antefix Length 10 1/8 inches.

CIRCA EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.E.

in the form of a head of a woman, perhaps a maenad, with incised wavy hair, her oval face with upturned lips and wide eyes with large dark pupils beneath finely arched eyebrows, her diadem with dotted zigzag surmounted by the edging of her twisted veil terminating in scrolling at each side, her head enclosed below a broad nimbus of radiating tongues interspersed with bosses at their tips, extensive red, black and white pigment throughout.

Length 10 1/8 inches.

Provenance: Acquired from Bruce and Ingrid McAlpine Ancient Art, London, May 28, 1987 Note: An antefix is a decorative architectural element that was placed on the end of a roof tile along the eaves of a roof in order to protect the wooden beams. In ancient Greek and Etruscan buildings these antefixes were often mold-made of terra cotta and were brightly painted. They regularly took the form of a male or female face, usually from mythology, who would have apotropaic significance.

Repaired from a few large fragments with some fill in the breaks. Minor over-painting in the losses. Surface wear, abrasions, minor pigment losses, and chips throughout. Losses especially to the proper right side, with much of the nimbus missing.

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Worldly Pursuits:Estate of Steve & Peggy Fossett

An Etruscan Terra Cotta Antefix Length 10 1/8 inches.

CIRCA EARLY 5TH CENTURY B.C.E.

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