Figurine of Isis-Aphrodite1st century BCE–1st century CE

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 1

No image

Title: Figurine of Isis-Aphrodite
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: 1st century BCE–1st century CE
Period: Roman Period
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: 18 1/4 × 4 3/4 × 4 in. (46.36 × 12.07 × 10.16 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. W. Benson Harer Jr. and Adina Lei Savin
Accession Number: M.2023.215
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes: This composite figurine represents a blending of Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles and religious beliefs, and might have originally been brightly painted. Terracotta figurines of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite evidence a consistent pose: she stands, naked or semiclothed, with arms held tightly at the sides and feet together. Her headdress is often rendered as a tall, elaborate structure based on the form of a Greek kalathos, a tall basket that signifies abundance, with the addition of a sun disk and projecting horns, both Egyptian motifs. Here, only vestiges of the sun disk and horns remain, barely visible in the center of the headdress. The elaborate hairdo of mounded curls and long, wavy locks is associated with Isis. This blended form of the goddess emphasizes her fertility aspects, through which she is linked to marriage and childbirth. Figurines of this type were found in both domestic and religious contexts.

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 1

No image

Title: Figurine of Isis-Aphrodite
Place Made: Egypt
Date Made: 1st century BCE–1st century CE
Period: Roman Period
Medium: Terracotta
Dimensions: 18 1/4 × 4 3/4 × 4 in. (46.36 × 12.07 × 10.16 cm)
Credit Line: Gift of Dr. W. Benson Harer Jr. and Adina Lei Savin
Accession Number: M.2023.215
Classification: Sculpture
Collecting Area: Egyptian Art
Curatorial Notes: This composite figurine represents a blending of Egyptian and Greco-Roman styles and religious beliefs, and might have originally been brightly painted. Terracotta figurines of the goddess Isis-Aphrodite evidence a consistent pose: she stands, naked or semiclothed, with arms held tightly at the sides and feet together. Her headdress is often rendered as a tall, elaborate structure based on the form of a Greek kalathos, a tall basket that signifies abundance, with the addition of a sun disk and projecting horns, both Egyptian motifs. Here, only vestiges of the sun disk and horns remain, barely visible in the center of the headdress. The elaborate hairdo of mounded curls and long, wavy locks is associated with Isis. This blended form of the goddess emphasizes her fertility aspects, through which she is linked to marriage and childbirth. Figurines of this type were found in both domestic and religious contexts.