Pottery female head, Tullie House, Carlisle
I’m sorry to say I really do only have time for the picture, not the story, this time but I wanted you all to know I’m still here! This female head is pottery and was probably on a jug handle. It dates to the 3rd century CE, and was found at Burgh-by-Sands. Good, eh?
She is on display at Carlisle’s Tullie House Museum alongside some other heads that are just as interesting but not as female. Go on, pay them a visit.
PS. I had permission to take this photo!
Esmeralda's Cumbrian History & Folklore 
She’ s wonderful Diane, what a great find!
I do love her, I must admit! Tullie House has a great selection of ‘Celtic’ heads and every one of them has a great expression.
Thanks for coming over!
I love her expression. I think she’s about to say something very important.
You’re right, I’m sure she is! She’s so different from the ‘typical’ mustachio’d ‘Celtic’ head, yet somehow is at least as mysterious in her facial expression. Move over Mona Lisa… 🙂
And just what makes it “female”? Looks completly un-tellable. Is that a chin, or a little beard? Is that s’posed to be hair, or is it a hat? Who could know such things from a stylised artwork?
Good point, now you mention it! Tullie House’s label says ‘female head’ and I suppose I looked at it from that perspective. I think most of their other heads of that era have mustaches, and this one doesn’t, so perhaps that’s it.
…wonder if I could felt her – xxxxx
I’d recommend going up to Carlisle to look at Tullie House’s whole collection of early Cumbrian sculpture. They have lots of heads, various gods and genii cucullati (gods, often in three, with hooded cloaks). I was amazed that I’d no idea they’d got such an amazing collection, and if you’re going to feel the vibes, that’s definitely the place to find them 🙂
Awesome!The people on my paternal side were from Lowthrope in Yorkshire and I never tire of anything British Isles 1000 A.D. and earlier.She’s a doll@
Most of my recent (400yrs or so) were Cumbrian and I’m equally keen on pre-conquest history. And she’s definitely a doll! I must post some of the other heads in Tullie House Museum sometime – the rest are men (but see Bahb’s observation!) but equally interesting 🙂