Fayoum / Figurine / Bitumen / Ceramic

About this Item

Record Details

Object Identifier: 0000.00.6965
Object Name: Figurine
Lot: University of Michigan purchase (Fayoum)
Collections: Kelsey Permanent Artifact Collections
Object Type: Figurines
Materials: Bitumen; Ceramic
Length: 2.3
Width: 5.4
Height: 15.0
Pierced: no
Inscribed: no
Full Artifact Description: Hollow molded fragment of reddish-brown clay (Munsell 5YR 5/4) from a double plaster mold as seen by the blisters in the depressed areas. The area to the left of the body above the pillar is missing. The right arm and left thigh are chipped. There are scattered minor abrasions and some black stains which might be bitumen.; The piece depicts the figure of a woman who stands with the right knee flexed beside a squared, profiled pillar. The body leans to the right in a manner that defies nature. A body leaning to the right would have the legs in the opposite pattern of flexion and extension. The right hand is raised to the head and the left hand rests upon the pillar. The figure's robe slips off the left shoulder, extends around the back and covers the right lower leg in an impossible manner. The front of the body is otherwise entirely nude. The headdress consists of double-tiered stippled wreaths surmounted by lotus buds or tiny leaves. The features are cursory.; The hair is centrally parted and combed over the ears to be tied at the nape of the neck. On the reverse side the hair falls to the shoulders.; The forms of the trunk are modelled but the transitions are awkward. The reverse has indicated features. The relief field between the right arm and the neck has been pierced through with some round instrument and the filed between the left leg and the pillar has been clumsily removed. The rectangular base is partially open underneath.
Verbatim Date: 1st - 2nd C AD
Verbatim Provenance: Egypt
Verbatim Site: Fayoum
Production Site: site
Countermark: no
Type Category: Artifact

Technical Details

Collection: Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Art & Artifact Collection
Record: 0000.00.6965
Link to this Item: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kelsey/x-0000.00.6965/0000_00_6965p03.tif

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Full citation: "Fayoum; Figurine; Bitumen; Ceramic." In the digital collection Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Art & Artifact Collection. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kelsey/x-0000.00.6965/0000_00_6965p03.tif. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 05, 2024.