Getty Museum

Head of a Woman

Date

early 4th century B.C.

Medium

Marble

Culture

Greek

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

The wavy locks of this female figure are bound up in a sakkos (soft cap). Parted in the middle, her hair is fuller on the proper left side. The left eye is carefully and distinctly carved; the right eye is eroded away. There is a sharp margin at the join of the neck and chin. Various types of women are depicted wearing a sakkos in Greek art. In ancient Greek, the word is defined as a coarse sack-cloth, or anything made of a coarse fabric, such a sack or bag. In visual representations, a sakkos appears either as a scarf or cap, with its chief characteristic being that it covers the hair. In some cases, locks of hair show in front of the ears or at the forehead. The sakkos is worn by women on both public and private monuments and in a variety of situations, including ritual activities involving libations and sacrifices.

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