Unknown Maker, Greek

Cycladic figurines like this were likely to have had funerary or magical associations and would have been used in ceremonial cult contexts or household shrines. With the head tilted back, knees slightly flexed, toes slanted downward, and arms folded beneath the chest, this female figure is an example of the most popular type of figurine found in the Cyclades. Cycladic figurines were created using tools made from stones such as emery, obsidian, flint, and pumice to carve and then smooth the surface of the marble. While it may be difficult to imagine today, in antiquity this figure would have been painted. Faint traces of pigment still remain, delineating the figure’s lower eyelashes and two braids on the back of the head.