The Story

Tanagra figurines are small terracotta figures dating primarily from 300 to 50 B.C. “Tanagras” are a specific style of Hellenistic figurines originally crafted in Athens, but later produced in Tanagra. They usually measure between 10-20 cm in height and are special because they reflect the world of mortal women, girls, and occasionally young men. They are well-dressed, with a majority wrapped in thin himations (cloaks), and sometimes wearing broad-brimmed hats and holding mirrors, wreaths or fans. They were made in a variety of poses, both sitting and standing. Overall, they reflect a sense of charm and fashion.

Some of the figurines may have been religious in nature, but most appear to have been decorative, depicting images of daily life. As was the custom of the period, many were placed as “grave goods” in the tombs of their owners.

Other figurines look mostly decorative. Some are believed to represent Ancient Greek popular characters, like from the New Comedy of Menander. 

Many Tanagras were inspired by large-scale popular statues created by famous sculptures. These archetypes had distinctive stances, draperies, veils and other attributes. 

Most probably  they had  a symbolic meaning related to the status, roles and aspirations of  noble, i.e. "middle-class” women.

The typical Tanagra figurines of the later, Hellenistic period were molded in a wide variety of poses, e.g. dancing, sitting or standing, with a specific gesture. They usually measure around 10-25 cm (4-10 inches) in height. 

They are well and meticulously dressed. Most of them are wrapped in thin himations. They are often veiled and sometimes they are wearing broad-brimmed hats and are holding mirrors, wreaths or fans. The specific added details are almost unique to any figurine.

While Tanagras were bright and vivid, most of the colors are long gone. Only traces remain.

at makes them special is not just their enigmatic grace and eternal  beauty, but rather the way they reflect the world of mortal women, girls and occasionally young men, as well as the presence of deities. 

In Ancient Greek mythology, Tanagra was the daughter of the river god, Asopos. She was the Naiad-nymph. The city of Tanagra in Boeotia, Greece, bears her name.

Pliny the Elder referred to Tanagra as a free state. The Greek philosopher and geographer, Dicaearchus of Messana, visited Tanagra sometime between 305 – 297 B.C. He described Tanagra as rocky  with a white chalky landscape. The inhabitants were mostly wealthy landowners and peasants.

The terracotta figurines themselves are named after the city of Tanagra, where great numbers of them were originally found. The main excavation site is located approximately 20 km east of Thebes.

Reflecting the beliefs and the customs of the period the Tanagras served as votive and funerary artifacts and many were placed in the burial sites of their owners.

It should be noted, that the city of Tanagra was also the place of two battles during the Peloponnesian War. The First Battle of Tanagra was fought in 457 B.C. between Athens and Sparta. The Second Battle of Tanagra was fought in 426 B.C. between Athens, Tanagra and Thebes.

However, all this would not have been even a historical footnote without the Tanagra figurines.

The Tanagra figurines were not the first figurines made in the city of Tanagra. In the archaic period, around 650-500 B.C., Tanagra molded flat, plank-like goddesses, some with high polos head-dresses. Vigorous horses standing on four splayed legs were also found.

The origin of the Tanagra figurines is still debated. Although thousands of them were certainly made in Tanagra itself, most scholars believe that they were first crafted in Athens. 

It appears that from Athens they spread first to Tanagra, and from there, via exports of both figurines and molds, throughout the Hellenistic and the Roman world. In addition to the city of Tanagra there were many other Tanagras production sites. Well know are Tarentum (in Southern Italy), Myrina (in Turkey), and Alexandria (in Egypt). 

The Tanagra figurines have become well known and appreciated throughout the Ancient world. They have been found in ancient tombs and sanctuaries in modern Greece, Italy, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and further. Important statuettes were discovered in Cyprus, Crete, Alexandria, Cyrenaica, Sicily, Athens, Callatis, Amisos, Lesbos, Myrina and Smyrna. 

As the story goes, in the latter half of the 19th century, the locals began uncovering sanctuaries and burial sites from the Hellenistic period in and around the city of Tanagra. Hundreds of sites are believed to have been uncovered and numerous Tanagras found. 

The first proper excavation in Tanagra was led by Greek archeologist Antonios Keramopoulos in 1911. Numerous archeological excavations followed with early excavations not always properly recorded.

Thus, in the 1870s, thousands of ancient terracotta Tanagra figurines were re-discovered. They made their international debut at the 1878 International Exposition in Paris where the “Tanagras” were on display. This solidified the Tanagra figurines’ place in the modern art and beauty world.

From there, the Tanagra figurines found their way into the most prominent world museums. They also became an important presence in the distinguished private collections and major auctions in Europe, North America and Asia.

As the genuine artifacts became increasingly scarce, a new iteration of Tanagra figurines came to the art world. Their enormous popularity led Tanagras to be extensively and expertly forged. 

However, some of these forgeries are quite curious. They are frequently made from molds taken from genuine figures and local Tanagra clay. Sometimes forgers combined newly crafted heads with ancient bodies and vice versa. This makes it virtually impossible to distinguish ancient originals from the more than a century-old forgeries. 

The variety of poses, movements, gestures and details that makes Tanagra figurines so appealing is achieved via fairly complex methods of manufacture. Despite the complexity and intricacies, the use of molds facilitated mass production.

Until the mid-fourth century B.C., it was customary to mold only the front of a figure and to attach a simple unmodeled back; the hollow statuette was then fired. Tanagra figurines, however, were made in two-part molds—one for the front and one for the back. Often the heads and arms were made in separate molds and attached to the statuette before firing. 

By varying the direction of the head and the position of the arms, a typical type of figure could be given many slightly different poses. Fans, wreathes or hats were handmade separately and attached. 

Like most earlier terracotta statuettes, the Tanagras were formed in concave terracotta molds. The original three-dimensional figure from which the mold was taken was  handcrafted. Usually in wax or terracotta. Existing figurines of terracotta, bronze, or wood were also occasionally used. Clay was pressed over the model. Then, when slightly hardened, it was removed and touched up. 

Openings were cut into the back of each statuette to allow moisture in the clay to escape during firing. 

A square plate could have been added as a base.

While much of their color has faded, Tanagra figurines were originally bright and colorful. 

After firing, they were coated in a white slip and then painted in a variety of colors using mineral and vegetable pigments. 

Tanagras were famous for their polychrome finish, gilding, and the colors used to paint the shoes, cloak and chiton. Their garments were usually red, pink, violet, yellow, and brown. The faces and hands were covered with reddish or pinkish colors. The hair was auburn, the lips red, and the eyes blue. Gilt and black were often used for highlighting the details. 

Two main groups of Tanagra styles have been identified based on workshops: the Sophoclean Lady group and the Lady in Blue group. Both were inspired by large-scale structural prototypes and were based on similar stance and drapery. 

The famous Sophoclean Lady is dated circa 336-324 B.C. The Sophocleans are believed to be modelled after a bronze statue of Sophocles located in the Theater of Dionysos in Athens. The statue is attributed to the Athenian sculptor Leochares.

The Sophoclean Lady group is distinguished by the positions of the right hand and left elbow and the characteristic arrangement of the cloak. The folds in the cloak are long in some versions and short in others. 

The Lady in Blue is believed to be derived from a famous archetype by Praxiteles. The Lady in Blue statuettes are believed to have been made in the same workshop in Tanagra: the “Workshop of the Woman in Blue.”