Page:History of Art in Sardinia, Judæa, Syria and Asia Minor Vol 1.djvu/85

 Bronzes, Statuettes, Votive Boats. 67 two we have just described. It represents an archer bending his bow, now reduced to a mere fragment, whose arrow is of unusual size. He wears the short familiar tunic of most statuettes. Fig. 65 is given for the sake of its peculiar head-dress (con- sisting of a tall woollen cap, brown or red in colour, closely resembling that of fishermen in the Mediterranean and our northern seas), which is frequently seen on La Marmora's statuettes. What seems characteristic of Sardinia, and which is never witnessed about our sailors, are two long plaits,one behind each ear, reaching to the middle. It is formally stated that in the remote parts of the island the peasantry even now go about with similar appendages. 2 In the olden days the custom of short or long hair existed side by side, and may have been peculiar to some tribes of the interior, 3 as may almost be implied from the Teti statuette (Fig. 66) exhibiting a still longer set of plaits. The head is bare, allowing the middle parting of the hair, which runs from nape to forehead, to be seen. His hands are raised ; in his left was carried some object, perhaps a bow, now disappeared, whilst his right is unusually large. Parting the hair seems to have been a prevailing fashion, for we meet with it on figures without plaits. 4 Beards were unknown, or at least rare, since traces have been found on two statuettes only ; a similar reservation equally applies to Fig. 65. — Statuette from Teti. Height, 12 c. Gouin's collection. From Wallet. Fig. 66. — Statuette from Teti Height, 1 1 c. Gouin's col lection. From Wallet. 1 La Marmora, Atlas, I. Plates I. -VI. 2 La Marmora, Atlas, I. Plate III., and Voyage, i. p. 225. "City and most country people shave their faces and have their hair in long plaits." s This fashion of long plaits was not confined to Sardinia ; in the Italian peninsula, only a few years back, mountaineers were to be seen on market days with two, some- times three such tails. — Translator. 4 About hair-dressing, consult Pais, Bolletino, p. 87, 1884.