Fragment from a Phi-type figurine. The precise location it was found on the Acropolis is not known. The breasts are rendered plastically and their outline is painted brown-red. The same colour is used for the left hand fingers beneath the breast on the same side. The horizontal lines on the upper torso most possibly indicate the garment details.
Figurines of this type are often found at sanctuaries, graves, even houses. They have been interpreted as deities, nurturers or mere dedications. However, their constant retrieval in children burials has led some researchers to suggest that they were also used as toys. On the Acropolis they were most likely votives by individuals to a fertility deity, perhaps to the goddess Athena, whom they sometimes portray.
Casson, S., Brooke, D., Catalogue of the Acropolis Museum. Sculpture and Architectural Fragments, with a section upon the Terracottas, II, Cambridge, 1921, σελ. 345