In the first half of the fifth century, coarse but very interesting
terracottas were produced in Greek mainland, especially in Boeotia.
They are represented in their everyday life, a woman making bread,
a man heating the grill or throwing the vase. These pieces are
useful to know the life of Greek, hardly represented in literature.
The mould was not used for these and white or red colour were
added as ornaments, though most of them are simple.
In the middle of the century, terracottas influenced from marble
sculpture were plentifully produced. Most characteristic figure
is a woman in peplos, standing(fig.6) or sitting.
Her hair is parted down the middle and dressed in a diadem or
a snood called sakkos. This Severe style soon fell out of favour
in sculpture, but its influence on terracottas was longer-lived.
Terracottas made in Boeotia about 430 B.C. have an unique character.
This female figure wares a low polos surmounting a bulky and highly
elaborate arrangement of the hair, sometimes looks strange.
In the fourth century, instead of these Severe styled figures,
made by two moulds, more complex postured figures were produced
with the help of five or more moulds. These are forerunners of
Hellenistic terracottas. Other than these, a quantity of Terracottas
represented comedy actors were made in Athens. They wear comical
or grotesque masks and protrude their belly. These features were
favoured till Roman period.
In the middle of the fourth century, figurines made as toy were
in fashion(fig.7). The body and the limb were made separately, and joined by
string in order to be movable. In the head, there is a hole to
suspend.
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