6th century BC. An Archaic bronze statuette of a standing female, eyes indicated by two elongated incised lines of diamond shape, traced with a burin, the body entirely covered with a chiton forming a sheath, the two arms along the body, the right hand lightly lifted and the other holding a spade. Cf. Rolland, H., Bronzes Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, item 198, for type. 59 grams, 88mm (3 1/2"). From a private collection formed in the Netherlands; previously in a European collection formed prior to 1980. This example of a maiden or kore, a form that originated in Archaic Greece, depicts a young woman with the typical almond eyes of the Rasenna (Etruscans"). The figure is a homage to female youth, according to the ideal of beauty in the Classical world. This statue was dedicated in a sanctuary and left as a votive offering to the gods, perhaps to preserve youthful appearance.