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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.135
Title
Votive Figurine of the Goddess Athena
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
first half of 6th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Laconia
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/173939

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Lead
Technique
Cast
Dimensions
5.3 x 2 cm (2 1/16 x 13/16 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
2012.1.135
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
Flat lead figurine of an armed goddess facing right, probably Athena. She is wearing a helmet with a high crest; of the crest, only the lower end is preserved. Long tresses of hair extend from below the helmet over her chest. The long skirt shows a diamond pattern (achieved by cross-hatching) in the front and, at back, two vertical lines, perhaps indicating folds.

The remains of a cross-hatched aegis, the snake-lined cape usually associated with Athena, are visible behind the figure. The rump of a snake survives at the elbow of the bent, proper right arm. Other figurines from the same mold indicate that the aegis continued on the other side, i.e. the front of the figure. On the present example, an uneven break edge is all that survives. The goddess is holding a spear, which is only partly preserved. The feet are missing.

The plain back of the figurine suggests that it was cast in a one-sided mold. There is a horizontal crack at the waist and a diagonal one in upper body.
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, warriors, women, animals (especially deer), and various objects, such as wreaths and branches. Next to the winged goddess, the armed goddess Athena was the most common deity to represented in lead. The ubiquity and often careless execution of the figurines 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. 21, ill.

Related Works

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