Pair of earthenware masks

XX Century, Italy

Dimensions: H. 23 cm

During the Hellenistic period, artists became concerned with accurate representation of childhood, old age, and even physical deformity. The range of subject matter was extended to includes genre-like figures from the fringes of society.
Fine, large-scale statues of fishermen, peasants, and aged courtesans became valued religious dedications, sometimes placed in a park-like setting within the sanctuary of the god.