Geometric

Museum: Athens, National Archaeological
Size: 1.55m
Function: funerary (found in Kerameikos cemetery)
Technique: silhouette
Style: Geometric (Late)
Decoration: geometric patterns, animal friezes (neck), laying out of the dead - the prothesis - (body)
Date: mid 8th c.
Analysis: large size, fine potting and painting suggest a special commission for the funeral of a wealthy Athenian, possibly a woman. Elegant stylization of figures, complementing careful pattern-work (e.g., quadruple meander on neck), is a sophisticated development from earlier more rounded human forms. Note how the raised arms continue the isosceles triangle of the torso.