Terracotta jug, Archaic I Cypriot — Terracotta jug, Archaic I Cypriot, c. 750–600 BC. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 74.51.531.Open Access by the MET

Archaic I

Terracotta jug

In this extraordinary evocative depiction, a woman faces off a horned serpent whose head looks vaguely like that of a ram. The protagonists appear well matched. In many cultures the line between human beings and animals, real or mythological, is permeable. The representation may be associated with an animal fable. Even more, it recalls the dialogue between Eve and the serpent in the Book of Genesis. H. 7 3/4 in. (19.7 cm)

Classification

Object type: Pottery vessel
Shape: Jug
Decoration: Relief and appliedModelled figures and attachments
Motifs: Human figure, Snake
Material: Clay
Period: Iron AgeCypro-ArchaicCypro-Archaic I
Date: 750 - 600 BC
Place of production: Cyprus

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Collection

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provenance

References

Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 763, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Vassos, Joan Mertens, and Marice E. Rose. 2000. Ancient Art from Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. no. 156, p. 95, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Identifiers

Accession no.: 74.51.531, Metropolitan Museum of Art
In catalogues: Myres 1914, no. 763
Karageorghis 2000, no. 156

Corrections and additions

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