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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1935.35.8
Title
Standing Woman, Proto-Phi Type
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
statuette, sculpture
Date
14th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Mycenae (Argolis)
Period
Helladic period, Late Helladic III
Culture
Mycenaean
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/291970

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Terracotta
Technique
Handmade
Dimensions
7.4 × 3.1 cm (2 15/16 × 1 1/4 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Miss Bettina J. Kahnweiler
Accession Year
1935
Object Number
1935.35.8
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Complete figurine in good condition.

Standing woman, facing forward, dressed in a long garment. Pinched-out head, flat on top, with large nose, and dotted pallets for eyes. Disk-shaped upper body is edged by plastically modeled arms; the left curls up between the plastic breasts, while the right rests on her abdomen. The lower body is a short tapering cylinder. Slightly concave base flares out with a narrow, rounded lip.

Covered in white wash (some extant) and decorated with red pigment. A thick band at the neck is perhaps a necklace. Wavy vertical lines across the chest become straight lines at the stem and might represent the folds of drapery.

Solid. Handmade.

Pinkish clay, finely levigated and hard-fired.
Commentary
Phi type figurines, so-called because of their shape’s resemblance to the Greek Letter “phi,” are characteristic Mycenaean products both in their ubiquity and their similarity to contemporary ceramics. Handmade, and stylized in form and decoration, this example is typical of the early stages of the development of the type. It is identifiable by its arms, which are rendered as slight ridges at the edge of the chest, with the left arm at the breasts and the right arm at the stomach. Our example is small and light; it can be held comfortably by placing one’s fingers at the head and base, or alternatively, around the stem. Both approaches leave the head and chest unobstructed for contemplation.

Related Objects

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