Harvard Art Museums > 1995.37: Inlay Representing the Upper Torso of a Female Figure 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"Inlay Representing the Upper Torso of a Female Figure , 1995.37,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 30, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/301889. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1995.37 Title Inlay Representing the Upper Torso of a Female Figure Classification Sculpture Work Type sculpture, relief Date early 11th-late 6th century BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient) Period Third Intermediate Period Culture Egyptian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/301889 Physical Descriptions Medium Copper alloy Technique Cast, lost-wax process Dimensions 5.1 x 6.3 cm (2 x 2 1/2 in.) Technical Details Technical Observations: The patina on the front of the object is dark brown with areas of green and red, while the patina on the back is green. The hand is missing at the wrist. The object is a solid cast and was likely cast in an open mold. File marks from shaping and smoothing are visible in many areas, especially the edges. No remnants of gilding or inlays were found. Linear pseudomorphs are found in the corrosion products on the reverse over the breast area. The casting is very porous. Tony Sigel (submitted 1999) Provenance Recorded Ownership History [Sotheby's, New York, Antiquities and Islamic Works of Art, June 8, 1984, lot 58]. Nanette B. Rodney Kelekian, gift; to the Harvard University Art Museums, 1995. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Nanette B. Rodney Accession Year 1995 Object Number 1995.37 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 Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums The elegant copper alloy inlay depicts a female figure with a small breast in profile. She faces to the right and extends one arm in front of her face. Excised areas in the place of her dress strap and broad collar would have held colored inlays. The piece is intact except for her hand. A different material would have completed the figure, including her wig and headdress, and the entirety would have been set into a backing, perhaps of wood. The delicate, almond-shaped eye with its extended cosmetic line and the pierced earlobe may date this piece in the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1076-725 BCE), although it could be slightly later (1). A similar plaque was found in a bronze hoard from Mit Rahina (Memphis) that includes pieces dating between Dynasties 22 and 26 (2). It is unclear whether she represents a human or divine entity (3). NOTES: 1. E. Vassilika, Keeper of Antiquities, The Fitzwilliam Museum, pers. comm. 2. Now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt; see M. G. Daressy, “Une trouvaille de bronze à Mit Rahineh,” Annales du Service des Antiquités de l’Égypte 3 (1902): 139-50, pl. 3.4. 3. A similar bronze in the University of Tübingen collection (inv. no. 1146) is identified as a protective goddess; see E. Brunner-Traut and H. Brunner, Die ägyptische Sammlung der Universität Tübingen (Mainz, 1981) 62, pl. 131. Marian Feldman Subjects and Contexts Ancient Bronzes 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
