Lion's head, probably Greco-Roman, circa 200–100 B.C.

Lion's head, probably Greco-Roman, circa 200–100 B.C.
Terracotta.
Measurements: 4.5 x 4.3 cm.
A sculpture in the round depicting a lion’s head, carved with incisions to highlight details such as the eyes and the fur on its forehead. The Classical period of ancient Greece corresponds to the 5th and 4th centuries B.C.; its beginning and end are marked by the fall of the tyranny in Athens (510 B.C.) and the death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.). The period known as the Age of Pericles is generally considered its high point, in the mid-5th century, when Athens produced a dazzling array of cultural creations in all fields, while nevertheless maintaining the Hellenic tradition of the Archaic Period (8th to 6th centuries B.C.).