1926.21.6: Standing Pedagogue

Identification and Creation

Object Number

1926.21.6

Title

Standing Pedagogue

Classification

Sculpture

Work Type

sculpture, statuette

Date

3rd-2nd century BCE

Places

Creation Place: Europe, Greece

Period

Hellenistic period

Culture

Greek

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/291947

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Terracotta

Technique

Mold-made

Dimensions

15.2 × 5.7 × 5 cm (6 × 2 1/4 × 1 15/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Percy S. Straus

Accession Year

1926

Object Number

1926.21.6

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Mostly complete figurine; missing proper right arm.

Standing older man, dressed in a himation or mantle rolled under the exposed chest, and draped over the left shoulder. Rounded head, with short, curly locks, and a straight fringe framing a rectangular, wrinkled forehead. Long, slender face. Narrow, sharp eyes; small, triangular nose; a mustache, and a long, generous beard that is rounded at the bottom. Expression seems pensive or tired.

Slender body, mostly obscured by the long himation that falls flatly all the way down to the top of bare feet. The general posture suggests tiredness, as if the man were weighed down by the bundles that are slung over his left shoulder.

Would have been painted originally. Traces of white ground at both front and back. Some red pigment extant on bread.

Hollow, with a solid head. Mold-made in multiple bivalve molds, likely plaster: one for the head, one for the body (including the left arm), and one for the right arm. Scoring at right shoulder indicates the spot and method for attachment. Detail enhanced by incision. Minimal modeling at back. The figure stands on a narrow, square, plain base that was made separately.

Deep red clay, finely levigated.

Commentary

A better-preserved example from the Louvre's collection (CA 490) helps identify this figure as a pedagogue, an older man of servile rank entrusted with the care of children. The two bundles slung over his left shoulder might have contained knucklebones (game pieces) for the children's entertainment. The right arm of the Louvre's example is also missing; they suggest it held a cane, which would explain why the arm had to be modeled and attached separately. The figurine in Paris is dated to around 300 BCE; ours, which is not as fine, should be a bit later.

Verification Level