In the skilled hands of classical craftsmen, terracotta sculpture achieved the stature of great art. Combining sensitive modeling with daring and innovative forms, artisans created works in clay that rivaled the finest sculptures in stone and bronze. This elegant and serene head of a goddess epitomizes the classical ideal of beauty. She is perhaps Demeter, goddess of fertility and agriculture; or the Bona Dea, popular in the Greek cities of Italy. With regal features, rounded chin, high, clear brow, waved hair, and quiet smile, she watches over the world of men with calm benevolence. As befits a goddess, hers is an ageless beauty, as appealing to our time as to the vanished world that envisioned her.