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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.140
Title
Votive Figurine of a Woman
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
600-480 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Laconia
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/173709

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Lead
Technique
Cast
Dimensions
4.4 x 1.8 cm (1 3/4 x 11/16 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
2012.1.140
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 facing left, with frontally shown chest. The breasts are rendered by two raised dots, a horizontal line indicates the belt, and the skirt is decorated with vertical bands containing a wavy or zigzag line (at right/back) and a rectangular pattern. One foot is missing and the face is bird-like in its current condition. The arms hang by the sides of the body, with the right slightly bent so that it tucks under the skirt. Similar figurines show that the woman may have worn a headgear and held a wreath.

The plain back of the figurine suggests that it was cast in a one-sided mold. A horizontal crack runs just underneath the breast.
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

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu