Tanagra figurine

American  

[tan-uh-gruh fig-yuh-reen, ‐-reen, tuh-nag-ruh] / ˈtæn ə grə ˌfɪg jəˌrin, ‐ˈrin, təˈnæg rə /

Often Tanagra figure

noun

1. a small terra-cotta statuette produced from the late 4th to the 3rd century b.c. in Tanagra, Boeotia, and found chiefly in tombs.

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Etymology

Origin of Tanagra figurine

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Her head and profile are sculpted with the exquisite delicacy of a Tanagra figurine.

From Time Magazine Archive

His form when compared with the modern ballad's amplitude seems like a Tanagra figurine beside a Michelangelo statue—but the figurine is as fine in its scope as the statue is in the greater.

From Marse Henry (Volume 2) An Autobiography by Watterson, Henry

It was opened by a little Greek girl, pretty and delicate as a Tanagra figurine, with very large black eyes.

From The Tour A Story of Ancient Egypt by Couperus, Louis

Terra cotta, which is afterwards baked, is plastic; and yet becomes hard; thus a Tanagra figurine is an example of plastic art, while a Florentine marble statuette is a product of sculpture.

From Arts and Crafts in the Middle Ages A Description of Mediaeval Workmanship in Several of the Departments of Applied Art, Together with Some Account of Special Artisans in the Early Renaissance by Addison, Julia de Wolf Gibbs

The German savant stopped in fascination before the Tanagra figurine.

From The Patient Observer And His Friends by Strunsky, Simeon