Votive Figure of Fortuna

Another aspect of this sculpture that I noticed that one might tend to overlook, is the compositional balance of the figure. This woman is presented to you in a frontal stance, showing importance, power and yet still very womanly and gracious. These lines are used by the artist to bring to life the woman's flowing gown. One of her arms is draping to her side, as the other is rested upward holding a long talon. She emits an aura about her and a sense of mystery. This detail is maintained through its contrasty and abrupt line patterns with intense angles and line variation. The gown appears to be very fabric like even though the sculpture is simply hardened clay. Shadows almost are fully developed with the line patterns because of the artist compositioning in the pattern placement. However, it’s her stance and body placement that depicts strong symmetry. These lines flow one into the other, creating great contrast and depth. Again the pattern usage of these lines is key to this effect.

The patterns that are created with the detailed lines are also very important to the overall outlook of this piece. All of the folds are created, ripple by ripple through deep cuts in the terracotta clay.