Archaic II

Terracotta woman

This piece and 74.51.1559 were made in a mold, which determined their shape. The row of beads—possible stylized roses—at the top of the figure's head may indicate that this is the goddess Astarte herself. She wears ear caps in the form of conch shells, two necklaces, and bracelets. Due to Phoenician influence, the veneration of Astarte was well established on Cyprus. H. 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm)

Date

600 - 480 BC

Accession No.

74.51.1579

Collection

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Provenance

References

Cesnola, Luigi Palma di. 1894. A Descriptive Atlas of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Vol. 2. pl. XXIV.193, Boston: James R. Osgood and Company.Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1895. The Terracottas and Pottery of the Cesnola Collection of Cypriote Antiquities in Halls 4 and 15. no. 117, p. 11, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Myres, John L. 1914. Handbook of the Cesnola Collection of Antiquities from Cyprus. no. 2144, p. 350, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Jacqueline. 1977. La grande déesse de Chypre et son culte à travers l'iconographie de l'époque néolithique au VIème s.a.C.. p. 208, Lyon: Maison de l'Orient.Böhm, Stephanie. 1990. Die ackte Göttin: zur Ikonographie und Deutung unbekleideter weiblicher Figuren in der frühgriechischen Kunst. no. 4b, p. 110, pl. 39b, Mainz am Rhein: Verlag Philipp von Zabern.Karageorghis, Vassos, Joan Mertens, and Marice E. Rose. 2000. Ancient Art from Cyprus: The Cesnola Collection in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. no. 216, pp. 142-43, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.Karageorghis, Vassos, Gloria Merker, and Joan R. Mertens. 2016. The Cesnola Collection of Cypriot Art : Terracottas. no. 165, pp. 98, 258-59, Online Publication, [CD-Rom 2004], New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.