votive figure

Terracotta figure of human head from North West frontier of India.

Head from a terracotta human figurine (probably female) with large appliqué eyes with slit pupils, prominent nose and incised mouth. The coiffure consists of a broad mass of hair swept back and parted back down the middle of the head -a flower above the right eye- culminating in a thick plait curling upwards. This fragment was probably part of a votive figure, representing a now unknown deity. Marked on the reverse in black ink with 'SB' (probably Sari Bahlol, Mardan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan). Archaeological context: presumably unstratified and from a surface collection. Early Historic Period (circa 1st century BCE or 1st century CE). Given by Col D H Gordon (1952/3).

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