I thought it would be cute to (re)imagine this set of Greek terracotta figures as being part of a toy set. These Greek terracotta figures from ~450 BCE showcase three women engaging in what resembles a breadmaking process (grinding wheat/grain, rolling dough, baking). One of the figures has articulated shoulders and hips, allowing it to move the rolling pin attached to its hands. The upright doll/figurine stands over a basin, possibly grinding/milling (wheat) using a saddle quern or kneading dough (other examples: 1, 2, 3, 4). The one on the right sits before a small oven (similar: 1). This potential for interactivity gives the impression that the figure was more of a doll (to be played with) than a static figure/object. While dolls with moveable limbs have been found in children’s graves, their purpose is still debated– possibly being votive figures or apotropaic objects if not playthings. 

Grave structures (like this stele and naiskos) depict girls holding dolls (though limbless). The materiality of these dolls may initially be of concern, as terracotta and other earthenware goods may be prone to cracking/breaking if not handled carefully, but other toys like wheeled horses/carts (1, 2, 3) or rattles were made of similar materials… 

Fragments of Erinna’s the Distaff suggest that she and her childhood friend, Baucis, played with dolls, popularly (re)written as follows: 

δαγύ[δ]ων τ᾿ ἐχ[όμεσθα νεαν]ίδες ἐν θαλάμοισι
νύμ[φαι]σιν [προσόμοιοι ἀκηδ]έες·
(Erinna, The Distaff, 21-22) 

Rough translation (English): 

Young maidens in bedchambers, clinging to dolls,
pretending to be brides, free of care. 

Regarding design choices in my illustration, I chose to standardize the appearance of the dolls (as of July 2026) for simplicity’s purpose of maintaining a unified color palette. Of the three original dolls, the one that sits before the oven retains the most color– red skin, a yellowish saffron(?) chiton, topped with what appears to be a cap encircled by a dark band near the bottom edge. While the doll kneading dough at the basin does not originally have articulated hips or shoulders (and is probably wearing a chiton as well), I felt this detail would emphasize the “toy” concept.

Sources:

Barclay, Julia. “The Honeycomb of Erinna: An Examination of Homoerotic Love, Loss, and Lamentation.” Canta/Ἄειδε: A Journal in Classical Studies, vol. 2, no. 1: Unheard Voices of the Classical World, 15 Feb. 2021.

Blanco, Camille. “Food for Thought: Women’s Domestic Roles through the Culinary Iconography of Archaic Greek Terracotta Figurines.” Discentes: Penn’s Classical Studies Publication, University of Pennsylvania, 3 Nov. 2024, https://web.sas.upenn.edu/discentes/2024/11/03/food-for-thought-womens-domestic-roles-through-the-culinary-iconography-of-archaic-greek-terracotta-figurines/. 

Muratov, Maya B. “Greek Terracotta Figurines with Articulated Limbs.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2004. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gtal/hd_gtal.htm.

Naked Truths: Women, Sexuality and Gender in Classical Art and Archaeology. United Kingdom, Taylor & Francis, 2003. 

Whitehorne, John Edwin George. “Erinna.” T. University of British Columbia, 1966. https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/ubctheses/831/items/1.0105561.  Retrospective Theses and Dissertations, 1919-2007.