Female head

This piece, from Orvieto, was carved from a hard, dark-gray volcanic stone called trachyte. It must have adorned the front of a monumental tomb or a public monument; similar elements are on the front of Perugia’s Porta Marzia. The woman has an intense expression; her carefully arranged hair is kept in place by ribbons and metal pins. She is wearing a torque and pyramid-shaped earrings. The formal conception of the head and the use of decorative elements (torque, pins, earrings) of different origin make it possible to date the piece to the early 3rd century B.C.