Veiled Woman Figure, Archaic II Cypriot statue
Veiled Woman Figure, Archaic II Cypriot, c. 610–575 BC. British Museum, 1886,0401.1386.CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Archaic II

Veiled Woman Figure

Dark grey limestone standing figure of a veiled woman holding a cup, painted. The feet are broken away. She is wearing a dress whose hemline and collar are indicated in red paint, the necklace of three rows is only painted in red as well. The shoulders are hanging down; the elongated right arm is hanging rigidly at the side, the fingers pointing downwards; the left arm is bent, the hand is holding a cup between the pointy breasts. The veil is drawn back in a plain mass on to the shoulders, it is separated sharply from the forehead in a horizontal line, falling more smoothly and rounded behind the ears. The face is slim, the chin pointed; the nose is fairly long, the mouth is small with the edges turned downward. The protruding eyes have a straight lower lid and are framed by flat eyebrows. The head is inclined forward and is of a great depth. The body is entirely semi-columnar in section with the back sawn flat. The bottom of the skirt is arched. There is a trace of a transverse fold grooved under the left arm. On the wrists are painted red bracelets; the lips and ears were also red. There are traces of black paint on the hair, as well as on the eyeballs and eyelashes. Dimensions: Height: 13.50 centimetres Object Type: figure Series: Nick type 2 (2.1a) Techniques: painted; carved

Collection

Provenance

  • Sanctuary of Apollo (Naukratis)

Identifiers

Accession no.
1886,0401.1386, British Museum · Museum record

Corrections and additions

Do you know this object?

We are always looking for more of an object's history: who owned it, where it was sold or shown, and where it was published.

Missing from this record

  • No publication recorded

We would like to hear about

  • Earlier owners, sales or exhibitions
  • Publications that illustrate or mention it
  • Where it is now, if it has moved
  • Better photographs, or a close parallel
  • A mistake in what we say about it

Messages are read by us alone and kept confidential, unless the law requires otherwise. Tell us if you would like to be thanked by name on the page.

Similar pieces