Antefix in the form of a woman’s head. Cerveteri,  525 - 500 B.C., polychrome terracotta.

Antefix in the form of a woman’s head. Cerveteri,  525 - 500 B.C., polychrome terracotta. Gregorian Etruscan Museum. 

“The antefix, of the type without a nimbus, decorated the tiles at the ends of the eaves of the roof, constituting a serial decoration. It has the form of a female head, the details of which are defined through finely detailed polychrome painting, rather than in relief. The head is crowned with a diadem, decorated with a double row of leaves and small spears. She wears a pair of disc-shaped earrings with a rosette painted in the centre.” (x)  

[id: photo of the terracotta antefix described above, which depicts the head of a woman who is smiling slightly. end id]