The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of December 20, 2025
Head of a Woman
600s BCE
Overall: 8 x 4.5 x 3.7 cm (3 1/8 x 1 3/4 x 1 7/16 in.)
Location: 102D Pre-Roman
Did You Know?
Amber is fossilized ancient tree sap, often imported from the Baltic to the Mediterranean region.Description
Amber, a form of fossilized tree resin, was much prized in the ancient Mediterranean world, perhaps due to its mysterious luminosity, fragrance, and magnetism. It was often carved into figures or heads of humans, animals, or mythical creatures. Small perforations on this head suggest that it may once have been mounted, perhaps for use as a pendant. Although now opaque and crackled due to age, in antiquity the surface probably exhibited some degree of translucence, a valued attribute for amulets and ornaments.- Turner, Evan H. “The Year in Review for 1992.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (February 1993): 38–79. Mentioned: p. 65 www.jstor.org
- {{cite web|title=Head of a Woman|url=false|author=|year=600s BCE|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.61