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Head of a goddess ("The Chios Head")
Greek
Hellenistic Period
3rd to 2nd century BC
Medium/Technique
Marble, probably from the Greek island of Paros
Dimensions
Height: 36 cm (14 3/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Nathaniel Thayer
Accession Number10.70
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
Catalogue Raisonné
Sculpture in Stone (MFA), no. 056; Sculpture in Stone and Bronze (MFA), p. 108 (additional published references).
DescriptionThe head, neck, and part of the shoulders were fashioned for insertion in a draped statue. The top of the head was covered by an end of the mantle drawn up to form a veil. This mantle fell closer to the left cheek than the right and projected over the brow, casting a shadow down to the eyebrows.
ProvenanceAbout 1853/1856, said to have been found on the Palaiokastro, Chios by Antonios Xanthakes [see note 1]; by inheritance to his son, Stylianos Xanthakes (d. 1881); about 1881, sold by Xanthakes' widow to J. C. Choremes; 1900, sold by the heirs of J. C. Choremes to Edward Perry Warren (b. 1860 - d. 1928), London and Rome [see note 2]. 1910, gift of Nathaniel Thayer to the MFA. (Accession Date: March 28, 1910)
NOTE: [1] Said to have been found at the time of the Crimean War while searching for building material. See L. D. Caskey, Catalogue of Greek and Roman Sculpture (Boston: MFA, 1925), p. 71, cat. 29. [2] Lent by Warren to the MFA in 1909 (loan no. 923.09).
NOTE: [1] Said to have been found at the time of the Crimean War while searching for building material. See L. D. Caskey, Catalogue of Greek and Roman Sculpture (Boston: MFA, 1925), p. 71, cat. 29. [2] Lent by Warren to the MFA in 1909 (loan no. 923.09).