NOTES
Made of terracotta, this sculpture is covered in a shiny brown coating with flecks of gold paint, designed to emulate bronze, a much costlier material. In addition to its lower cost, terracotta was an easier material to work with as it was extremely difficult to cast bronze busts of this large scale. Most bronze busts that survive from the 16th century measure less than nine inches high.
Pomona was the ancient Roman goddess of fruit and garden; her floral crown ties her to the abundance of the earth. Renaissance intellectuals studied the writings of ancient authors and collected books and images based on Roman stories and history. This terracotta bust would probably have decorated a scholar’s study, perhaps displayed in a circular space located above eye level.
