Tragic mask of the Katàkomos ochrà

Description:

Tragic mask of the Katàkomos ochrà, greyish clay, IV century BC from Lipari. Much larger than the others, this mask is also one of the most expressive of the museum. It represents a young woman with a fine oval face with her mouth wide open and dull eyes.

The woman, characterized by a complex hairstyle, can be likened, (according to the description handed down by Julius Pollux, III c. BC) to the Katàkomos ochrà “the pale woman whose hair fall from above”, a solemn and sorrowful figure of a young woman. This mask is one of the most ancient specimens of onkos, the scenic and conventional elevation of the hair above the forehead.