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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.134
Title
Votive Figurine of a Woman
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
6th-early 5th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Laconia
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/173678

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Lead
Technique
Cast
Dimensions
3.3 x 1.5 cm (1 5/16 x 9/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Humfry Payne Collection (?-1936), England. [Galerie Gunter Puhze, Freiburg, Germany, 2001], sold; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (2001-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University
Accession Year
2012
Object Number
2012.1.134
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Flat lead figurine of a woman in a long skirt and a high headdress facing right. The hair appears as a ponytail to one side, the breasts are indicated by raised dots, and hands and feet are missing. Vertical wavy lines decorate the skirt. The plain back of the figurine suggests that it was cast in a one-sided mold. There are cracks at the neck.
Commentary
Small, flat figurines cast of lead were common dedications in the sanctuaries of Laconia, the territory of Sparta. Over 100,000 examples were found in the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia alone. Different types of figurines were mass-produced in one-sided molds with a plain back. They depict a winged goddess and other deities (such as Athena), warriors, women, animals (especially deer), and various objects, such as wreaths and branches. Their ubiquity and often careless execution indicate that they were affordable for a large section of the population. They thus reflect popular beliefs and practices.

Publication History

  • Melissa LaScaleia, "The Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia Revisited", Persephone (Fall 2002), Vol. 6, No. 1, 20-23, p. 20, ill.

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Verification Level

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