Statue of a Mourning Woman
Artist
Greek
Date500–450 BCE
Mediumterracotta
Dimensions106.7 cm (42 in.)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Terms
Object number1927.45
Label TextThese terracotta sculptures, which represent mourning women, come from chamber tombs at Canosa (ancient Canusium), a town in southeastern Italy. When similar statues were first discovered in the 18OOs, their raised arms were interpreted as gestures of prayer-hence the name orantes, from the Latin orare (to pray). Their varied poses more likely express lament, since they appear to have been placed in pairs around the corpse, sometimes in groups of up to eight figures. The white coating, or slip, is made from white clay, and may have been applied as a base layer for colored pigments that have not survived.ProvenanceFrom Canosa, Italy. (Sydney Burney [1878-1951], London); (1926-1927, Raymond Henniker-Heaton [1874-1963], London); 1927, purchased by the Worcester Art Museum.On View
On viewCurrent Location
- Exhibition Location Gallery 215
