A Greek terracotta head of a kore, Archaic, circa 5th century BC
Height: 11.2 cm
Provenance:
Dr. Walter Kropatscheck (1905 - 1995), Collection, Heligoland, Germany
UK private collection, acquired 1996
With Rupert Wace, 2011
UK private collection, acquired from the above in 2011
The head and shoulder or a young woman is preserved, wearing a high stephane or diadem over her wavy, centrally parted hair. She has large, elongated eyes and her mouth is curved in a typical archaic smile.
Such 'korai' are archaic Greek depictions of young women, probably meant to depict goddesses or votaries; their smiles are highly distinctive and characteristic of the period. Cf. R. A. Higgins, Catalogue of the Terracottas in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities in the British Museum, Volume I, London, 1954
Condition:
The right shoulder repaired. The nose with restoration.