

Figurine of an actor
Since its appearance at the end of the Archaic period (6th c. BC), theatre played an important part in ancient Greek art and society. In the 5th c. BC, three types of theatrical performance developed in Athens: tragedy, comedy, and Satyr drama. Attic comedy, as we know it from Aristophanes, parodied individuals and public affairs, often with clear political overtones.
By the end of the 4th c. BC, a new type of comedy made its appearance. It focused on human characters, types of behaviour, and situations of everyday life. Menander was the most prominent playwright of the period. New Comedy characters remained very popular until Roman times, and were frequently represented in clay or bronze figurines.
The illustrated object is a bronze figurine of a New Comedy actor. He wears a mask with open mouth and represents a slave who has taken refuge at an altar to avoid punishment by his master.
PUBLICATION
Vlassopoulou Ch. 2006. Cat. no. 70, in Choremi-Spetsieri Α. – Zarkadas Α. (eds), The Paul and Alexandra Canellopoulos Museum. Ancient Art, Athens, 109.