South Italian Lekythos in the Shape of a Woman's Head in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, February 2008

Terracotta Lekythos (oil flask)
Greek, South Italian, Apulian, ca. 400-375 BC

Accession # 21.88.65

In the absence of plentiful sculptural-quality stone, artists of Southern Italy used clay to great artistic effect. The head is impressive for its size, the sensitive rendering of the face, the texture of the hair, and the careful articulation of the earrings.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.