Lead figure, possibly of a skeleton

A small, corroded lead figure of a skeletal form, its rounded head and thin, splayed limbs cast in a dark grey-blue patina. The object sits alone near the center of a plain pale background, arms raised and legs bent in a stiff, dancing pose.

Look closer: The thin limbs are fragile and partly broken, with a small detached piece near the lower edge of the figure.

Artist

Unknown

Date

possibly 4th century BCE

Medium

Lead

Source

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Size

3000 × 4000 px

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of A. J. B. Wace, 1924