Cypriot Terracotta Head of a Man in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, July 2010

Head of a man, ca. 600 b.c.; Cypro-Archaic
Cypriot; Said to be from Amathus
Terracotta
H. 11 1/2 in. (29.2 cm)
The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874-76 (74.51.1458)

This mold-made head was once part of a large-scale terracotta statue of a male figure. By the seventh century B.C., Cypriot sculptors used molds for the heads of large clay sculptures, a process that enabled them to produce facial features more accurately. This bearded head has large ridged eyes, a prominent nose, and "feathered" eyebrows, all common characteristics of Cypriot sculpture from this period. Abundant color accentuates the facial features, hair, and helmet. The relatively small mouth with a hint of an Archaic smile reveals the influence of Greek sculpture.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/74.51.1458