Ca. early 5th century BC. A rare terracotta protome, featuring a breathtaking visage of a goddess with ethereal beauty. This masterful creation showcases well-modelled facial features that testify to the skill and finesse of its creator. The goddess's face is a captivating sight, with her eyes imbued with a sense of depth and mystery that draws the viewer in. Her gaze seems to evoke a longing for a forgotten age of myth and legend. The nose is finely chiselled and adds a delicate balance to the overall harmony of the piece. The lips, gently closed, hint at a sense of calm and serenity, while the ears are depicted with a subtle yet lifelike realism. The goddess's coiffure is adorned with a headdress that conveys a sense of majesty and power. A protome is a type of bust made by pressing a thin layer of terracotta into a single mold. These were first made in Rhodes, but from the early fifth century BC onwards they spread throughout Greece and the Mediterranean world, becoming a staple of ancient Greek artistic expression. Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession number: 26.164.8.Size: L:210mm / W:150mm ; 1.12kgProvenance: Private UK collection; From an old London collection formed in the 1990s.