Description

A beautiful Greek terracotta female head. Her center-parted wavy hair, rolled into an up-do at the back, reflects the style of the later Hellenistic period when this work was made. Her hair was kept in place with a tainia headband or ribbon. She wears earrings on either ear. Her delicate facial features are still present. 

This terracotta head has been around the world: exhibited in the Borough of Chelmsford, Public Library and Museum, Great Britain from 1922; in the Chelmsford Museum, Essex, Great Britain from 1930 and in the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1959. After that it went to South Africa (1982), Florida USA (1999), Spain (2022) and now the Netherlands.

Comparable:

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248417

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/241072

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248385

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/248384

Culture

Greek, Hellenistic period

Dating

c. 300 - 400 B.C.

Size

7 cm without stand

Provenance

Dutch private collection. 

J.Bagot Ancient Art, Barcelona, Spain

Heirs of D. Wray Forshaw

Collection of Captain D. Wray Forshaw (South Africa and USA) from at least 1922. Brought from Greece by Captain D. Wray Forshaw.

Published

The Bulawayo Chronicle, Saturday March 14 1959. Copy of newspaper page with photo of this female head available.

Exhibited

National Museum of Southern Rhodesia, Zimbabwe (formerly known as Rhodesia, a former British Colony), 1959.

Chelmsford Museum, Essex, Great Britain from 1930.

Borough of Chelmsform, Public Library and Museum, from June 6 1922.

Other relevant provenance 

Extensive communication between Captain D.W. Forshaw, the Chelmsford Museum and the National Museum of Southern Rhodesia. Interesting documents about transferring objects from one museum to the other museum, cleaning salt encrustations, and how the exhibition went. Letters dating from 1956 to 1959. In a letter dating 24th March 1956 D.W. Forshaw mentions that the then curator of the British Museum authenticated his collection. 

Also communication between the heirs of D.W. Forshaw and Sotheby's in New York about a part of the collection. Dating from 1982 and 1999. 

An old picture of this female head available. Also pictures from the rest of his collection available.

Condition

Great condition. Damage to the nose and the tainia headband is missing. This probably happened somewhere after 1959, as her nose and headband appear still intact in the 1959 newspaper.