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The so-called Polyxena sarcophagus, found in 1996 near Gümüsçay in Turkey, has already been discussed many times, although it has not yet been fully published. As a major work of Late Archaic Greek art, it raises several issues. The iconography has long been discussed, but questions of style are also essential. The latter were partially discussed in a 2007 paper that incidentally offered the first full illustration of the sarcophagus. The paper, however, neglects various essential aspects of the monument: notably, the obvious affinities with late sixth?century Athenian vase painting, and the un-­deniable diversity of the various faces of the sarcophagus. A comparative analysis of profiles leads us to identify three main stylistic models (apparently created in Phocaea, Clazomenae and Aeolis), which I defined in 1983 through study of female terracotta protomai. Most likely the work­shop that was commissioned by a member of the local elite of this Propontis community worked under the direction of a Clazomenian master and included other sculptors from the North Ionian area. The vitality of these centres in Northern Ionia is thereby brilliantly confirmed. As demonstrated by the protomai, immigrant artists trained in these centres played a major role in the evolution of Athenian art, especially in the birth and development of red figure vase painting.