Boeotian Terracotta Siren

An ancient Boeotian Greek terracotta figure of a Siren, in the form of a bird with a female head.

Boeotia, Greece.
Ca. 450 - 400 BC.
Height: 2 1/8 in. (5.4 cm).

The siren is a mythological creature that was part woman and part bird, often perceived as humanlike beings. By the 7th century BC, sirens were regularly depicted in art as human-headed birds. They may have been influenced by the ba-bird of Egyptian religion. In early Greek art, the sirens were generally represented as large birds with women's heads, bird feathers and scaly feet. Later depictions shifted to show sirens with human upper bodies and bird legs, with or without wings. They were often shown playing a variety of musical instruments, especially the lyre.

Formerly in the collection of Jerome Eisenberg, New York, acquired in Switzerland in 1998.

Inv#: 8403

$3,500

Guaranteed Authentic

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