Getty Museum

Statuette of a Woman Carrying a Boy on Her Shoulders

Date

500–475 B.C.

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Greek (Boeotian)

Department

Sculpture

Institution

Getty Museum

Much of Greek art depicts the world of the gods and mythology, or the lives and activities of men in Greek society. Representations of the everyday lives of women are much less common. This terracotta statuette depicts an intimate moment within a household, with a woman carrying a child piggy-back on her shoulders. The child is nude and the reddish complexion is a standard Greek way of indicating that he is a boy. Since the wealthy often entrusted the care of their children to enslaved people in the household, the precise relationship between this woman and child is unclear. Terracotta statuettes depicting scenes from daily life were popular in Boeotia in the early 400s B.C. The statuettes were modeled by hand and the unknown artist has carefully added the facial details. Much of the red, black and white paint that was applied after the figure was fired still remains today.

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