Female Figure with Bold, Geometric Face and Body Paint
A rare work of art such as this female figurine, from a time and place far different from ours, may sometimes strike the eye in a way that brings to mind an almost familiar yet elusive sense of recognition as if an essential memory were already there, waiting to rise in the viewer's imagination. Our approach to such objects can seldom rely on ancient written records. We must begin by looking at the works themselves: at their materials and modes of manufacture, and at shapes, colors, patterns, and symbols. Archaeological contexts can also offer vital information, and analogies may be drawn from the cultural records of later societies in which ancient customs and ways of perception have long pers ...
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200/100 B.C.
Terracotta and pigmented slip
44.8 x 20.0cm
2007.348
Image and text courtesy of Art Institute of Chicago, 2019
Where you'll find this
Permanent collection