How does she look?

The tambourine player is a standing figurine made of terracotta with a missing base. It has a flat solid body wearing a long tunic, while the back remains plain, likely with the surface smoothed with a tool. The face is mould-made, oval in shape, with large almond-shaped eyes, an elongated – partially broken – nose, and a pronounced chin. The hair falls over both shoulders, with a fringe of curly locks crowning the forehead. The figurine’s arms are bent against the chest; with her left hand, she holds a small, partially preserved tambourine, while her right hand appears to be playing it.
The figurine is in a poor conservation state, with its physical features noticeably worn down, likely due to handling. However, by examining similar specimens, we can infer that certain details – such as hair, forehead curls, or eyebrows – were originally more defined. In some cases, extensive use of paint was applied to decorate the body and enhance facial features.

Female figurines from the same period can generally be grouped into three types according to arm positioning:

1. arms extended to the sides of the body
2. hands resting under the chest
3. hands positioned at the centre at the level of the face/chest, holding objects or animal.

This figurine belongs to the third category, with hands positioned at the centre of the chest while playing the tambourine. This pose reflects a widespread playing technique that is still in use today among drummers in the Eastern Mediterranean and in many Arab places. Similar types could hold the drum perpendicular to the body and play it, and others could carry it on the ventral area with one hand without playing it (fig. 1).

Fig. 1 - Female terracotta figurine holding a
tambourine perpendicular to the body
(Cyprus Museum - B132 A-1935, permission from the DoA)