Harvard Art Museums > 1960.624: Boar Sculpture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Boar , 1960.624,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 05, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/290455. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1960.624 Title Boar Classification Sculpture Work Type statuette, sculpture Date 5th century BCE Period Archaic period to Classical Culture Greek Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/290455 Location Location Level 3, Room 3400, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Ancient Greece in Black and Orange View this object's location on our interactive map Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta Technique Mixed technique Dimensions 5.5 × 4 × 10.2 cm (2 3/16 × 1 9/16 × 4 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of David M. Robinson Accession Year 1960 Object Number 1960.624 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Mostly complete figurine; mended from at least seven fragments. Standing boar with short legs, facing forward. Both sides are modeled plastically, with the head cocked slightly so that the snout points to the right; if there was a preferred side for display it was likely the proper right. Two small, perked-up ears; rounded eyebrows rendered in relief; short, pointed snout. Naturalistic main body with simple shortened stumps for legs. A short mane runs down the body, from between the ears back to the rump. Would have been painted originally. Heavy white ground extant all over surface. Traces of red pigment visible on both ears. Heavy; perhaps mostly solid. Mold-made in a single bivalve mold. The legs appear to be handmade additions. No visible join seams (maybe concealed with the mane). Small venthole at back in between the hind legs; naturalistic placement. Creamy yellow clay, very finely levigated. Commentary Boars can be very powerful animals, a fact well-attested in antiquity both in historical writing (chapter 10 of Xenophon’s “Cynegeticus” deals with the boar hunt, for instance), and in myth. Some of Greece’s all-star heroes -Theseus, Heracles, and Atalanta, to name a few- bravely made battle with ferocious boars. Our terracotta friend, however, does not seem to pose any danger; not only does it stand peaceably, but its face appears to smile. Furthermore, both its shape and the fine quality of the clay invite handling. What effects could have holding this small boar had on people? Did those who handle it feel subtly empowered, finally larger and stronger than the fearsome beast? Despite their potential for chaos, pigs were also associated with fertility and could be presented as gifts to like-minded goddesses such as Demeter. Was our boar a toy for a child? An aid to someone dreaming of heroic deeds? An offering to a goddess that could reciprocate with the gift of abundance? It could have been all these things and more, depending on the needs of its beholder. Exhibition History The David Moore Robinson Bequest of Classical Art and Antiquities: A Special Exhibition, Fogg Art Museum, 05/01/1961 - 09/20/1961 32Q: 3400 Greek, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 10/03/2023 - 01/01/2050 Related Works 2004.203 Askos in the Shape of a Recumbent Boar Vessels 1925.30.90 Boar Sculpture 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
