Ca. 400-300 BC. A terracotta plaque fragment with a low relief anthemion decoration below the raised and rounded border on the top of the fragment. These plaques were used to adorn the exterior facades of buildings and were often incorporated into architectural elements such as friezes and cornices. Etruscan terracotta architectural plaques were not only valued for their aesthetic qualities but also for their practical function. These plaques were often used to protect the exterior facades of buildings from weathering and erosion. They could also serve as a form of insulation, helping to regulate the temperature inside a building. Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Accession Number: 96.18.24.Size: L:200mm / W:130mm ; 1.09kgProvenance: United States (Washington, D.C.) - Sands of Time Ancient Art Gallery, January 2012, item number RT903; formerly private collection of Katherine Carson, Delaware, acquired in the 1930s and thence by descent to great-nephew before sale by Ms Carson. The artefact was part of a large collection of curious, a photo of which is in the "Dover Post" (8 October 1975, p.3) when in the ownership of Alan Hunn of Delaware. Artefact is reputed to be from Rome originally.