Female Bust in Terracotta

Terracotta female bust, probably representing a female divinity, hand-modelled and finished with a spatula. Cut just below the breasts, it is conceived frontally, with the head slightly inclined to the right, a pose that conveys a sense of naturalism and movement. The face, oval and full, features strong and plastic facial traits: small eyes with raised eyelids, lightly suggested eyebrows and lateral eye folds, a straight nose, a slightly open mouth with full lips, and a massive chin and neck.

The hairstyle is elaborate: the wavy hair, held by a fillet, emerges laterally from beneath a cylindrical headdress (polos), framing the face and partially covering the ears, before falling into large applied curls along the sides of the neck. The figure wears a light chiton with a wide neckline and short sleeves, gathered beneath the breasts by a belt.

The bust was found inside a domestic space, in a sector of the Roman settlement known as Area G–2000. The context of discovery suggests that the object belonged to the furnishings of a domus and had a symbolic or religious function, connected with practices of household cult. On stylistic grounds and considering the quality of workmanship, the bust fits within the artistic production of southern Italy and Sicily between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC. Some particularly refined details indicate that it was not a mass-produced object, but rather a special piece made with care. For these reasons, the bust finds close parallels with well-known examples discovered at Valle Ariccia (Latium), dated to the late 4th century BC. These works reveal the interaction of different artistic traditions: on the one hand, the elegance and refinement of southern Italian art; on the other, influences from Sicily, especially from the area of Syracuse.