Head of a Woman

600s BC

Head of a Woman, 600s BC. Italy, Etruscan, "Italic", 7th Century BC. Amber; overall: 8 x 4.5 x 3.7 cm (3 1/8 x 1 3/4 x 1 7/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1992.61 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. Amber is fossilized ancient tree sap, often imported from the Baltic to the Mediterranean region.