The Tanagra figurine that served as the model for this small painting once belonged to the former Theodore Pitcairn collection.1 This Greek terracotta statuette, then dated to the 3rd century BC, belongs to the type of figurines known as “Tanagras”, named after the ancient Boeotian city where numerous examples were discovered in the nineteenth century. Produced throughout the Hellenistic world, these small funerary or decorative sculptures were admired for the natural elegance of their poses and the delicacy of their drapery. Depicted in isolation against a blue background scattered with floral motifs, the statuette reflects Philippe Smit’s taste for the refined objects preserved within the circle of his patron.
1. See Theodore Pitcairn, My Lord and my God, New York, 1967, pl. [n°4] (ill b/w).
