Female votive head - ROM2010_11494_39


Female votive head

Medium:Mould made earthenware (terracotta)
Geography: Italy
Date: about 300-200 BC
Period: Etruscan
Object number: 925.55.7
On view
Gallery Location:Eaton Gallery of Rome - Bratty Exhibit of Etruria
DescriptionThe Etruscans dedicated many thousands of votive offerings in their temples and sanctuaries as a way of thanking or seeking help from particular patron deities. The most common types of offerings were terracotta heads, body parts, and swaddled infants. These were mostly mould-made from earthenware and mass-produced. Terracotta heads probably stood for the devotees who dedicated them. The heads were not true portraits: made from standard moulds, they simply served as a satisfactory likeness of the person for the deity to recognize for a pious act of devotion.
Roman World