Aphrodite and Eros - Terracotta Figurine
Greek, Tanagra type · Boeotia (Tanagra) · Late 4th century BC
Terracotta · Height 18.5 cm
ADR · II · MMXXVI
A Tanagra figurine is a small molded terracotta sculpture produced for domestic, funerary, or votive use. This example represents Aphrodite seated on a high-backed chair with a cushioned seat, holding the infant Eros on her left arm while offering him a spherical rattle mounted on a handle, toward which the child extends his arms. The goddess wears a long chiton with deep vertical folds and a mantle draped across the body, and her head inclines toward the child. Traces of polychromy remain on the chair and garments.
Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and beauty, and Eros personifies desire and attraction. Images of the goddess in a maternal relationship with Eros appear in the late Classical and Hellenistic periods and present divine figures in intimate and domestic interaction. Tanagra workshops produced such figures from molds, refining details by hand and coating the surface with a white slip and mineral pigments. The type reflects the Hellenistic interest in natural gesture, close observation of drapery, and small-scale sculptural objects intended for private display or as grave offerings.
Detail
The infant Eros is shown nude and seated on Aphrodite’s arm, with rounded limbs and a compact body. His arms extend toward the rattle held by the goddess. The head is slightly tilted, with softly modeled facial features and short, textured hair. The figure emphasizes childlike proportions and natural movement.
Detail
Drapery, Chair, and Polychromy
The chiton is rendered with deep vertical folds that respond to the seated posture, while the mantle falls in broader layered bands across the lap and side. The high-backed chair is constructed with straight supports and a defined cushioned seat. Traces of red pigment remain on the cushion and parts of the drapery. These surviving colors indicate polychromy (the application of multiple painted colors to the surface of a sculpture) a standard finishing practice for terracotta figures in antiquity.
