Description
Two elegantly dressed women are preoccupied with styling and perfuming their hair, a scene appropriate for a mirror cover. The woman at left wears her wavy hair pulled up toward the back with unbound locks hanging from an unseen fastener. The mirror that she holds offers a reflection of the woman at right. In her right hand she holds an alabastron, a small cylindrical vessel with narrow neck to hold perfumed oil (see also no. 36). The woman at right twists her thick locks of hair before pulling them to the back of her head. Once those locks are secured and form a band, the rest of her hair can be looped around the band until all the ends are hidden, or gathered into a bun holder. Since hair was typically styled in the home, one would expect this to be an interior scene, yet the two women are seated on rocky ground as if they are outdoors. Is it possible that these women are goddesses, perhaps Hera or Aphrodite attended by another goddess?
Details
- Work Date:
- 4th century BCE
- Medium:
- Bronze
- Credit Line:
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art (17.190.2073)