Hellenistic

Limestone statuette of a childbirth scene

The subject of this statuette is childbirth. Here, as on the relief fragment (24.97.92) displayed nearby in this case, mother and infant are both shown, suggesting the function of this object was a votive offering of thanks. The sense of exhaustion vividly conveyed by the mother's reclining pose makes an interesting contrast to the more restrained characterization of childbirth depicted on the relief. WebPub GR 2012 Cesnola: 6 1/2 × 9 7/8 × 4 in., 10 lb. (16.5 × 25.1 × 10.2 cm, 4.5 kg)

Classification

Object type: Stone sculpture
Motif: Human figure
Material: StoneLimestone
Period: Hellenistic and RomanHellenistic
Date: 310 - 30 BC
Place of production: probablyCyprus
Findspot: Golgoi

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Collection

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provenance

Sanctuary of Golgoi-Ayios Photios, Cyprus Between 1870 and 1873, found in Golgoi; until 1874, collection of Luigi Palma di Cesnola; acquired in 1874, purchased from L.P. di Cesnola.

References

Cesnola, Luigi Palma di. 1885. A Descriptive Atlas of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Vol. 1. pl. LXVI.435, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company.Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 1226, 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. 424, p. 262, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Vassos. 2006. Aspects of Everyday Life in Cyprus: Iconographic Representations. no. 219, p. 220, Nicosia: Foundation Anastasios G. Leventis.Hermary, Antoine and Joan R. Mertens. 2013. The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art : Stone Sculpture. no. 279, p. 216, Online Publication, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Lund, John. 2015. A Study of the Circulation of Ceramics in Cyprus from the 3rd Century BC to the 3rd Century AD, Gösta Enbom Monographs, 5. p. 233, fig. 278, Bristol, CT: Aarhus University Press.Bombardieri, Luca and Elisa Panero. 2021. Cyprus : Crossroads of Civilization : Guide to the exhibition p. 65, London: DeArtcom.Bombardieri, Luca and Elisa Panero. 2021. Cyprus: Crossroads of Civilizations : exhibition catalog no. 145, p. 314, London: DeArtcom.Zanker, Paul. 2022. Afterlives : Ancient Greek Funerary Monuments in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. p. 163, fig. 45, New York: Scala Publishers.

Identifiers

Accession no.: 74.51.2698, Metropolitan Museum of Art
In catalogues: Myres 1914, no. 1226
Karageorghis 2000, no. 424
Karageorghis 2006, no. 219
Hermary 2013, no. 279

Photographs in the Archive

An older photograph of this object, matched by its numbers or by comparing the photographs. Each links to its record in the Archive.

Csn3603Limestone Minor Plastic

Photograph: Swedish Cyprus Expedition, 1927–31. Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm, Csn3603. Public domain (CC0).

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Limestone statuette of a childbirth scene

Classification

Identifiers

Photographs in the Archive

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