Cleveland Museum of Art

Fragment of a Reclining Male Figure

Date

450–350 BCE

Medium

terracotta

Culture

Greek/South Italian, Taranto (ancient Taras)

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This terracotta figure depicts a bearded man with his head tilted toward his left shoulder, suggesting that he is reclining. At Greek banquets, the attendees reclined while eating. Banquet imagery was very popular, including in the Greek colonies in Italy. This man likely originally had an elaborate headdress separately made and attached over the smooth part of the head. The clay on the figure’s right shoulder is probably the remains of “ribbons” attached to his headdress. There are traces of red pigment in the hair. Tarantine terracotta banqueters were made from molds, with additional handmade details.

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