Terracotta figure of a human head. From North West Frontier of India.
Head (face) from a flat-backed human figurine (a Sari Dheri type?) in red terracotta, possibly with a dark red slip. It has large appliqué eyes and lips, pinched nose and the remains of a thick neck ornament incised diagonally. Above the brow are the remains of an incised pellet decoration. This object probably represents a female deity of some kind and may be thought to have a votive function. It is marked on the back in black ink with 'Tax' (doubtless Taxila, the great ancient city complex near Islamabad in Pakistan) though from which named part of that huge area this object is associated with is not known. Archaeological context: presumably unstratified, probably from a surface collection. Circa 1st century BCE. Given by Col D H Gordon (1952/3).
