This outstanding ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is also one of the largest, most dramatic and best-preserved such pieces we have seen. It depicts a standing male (?) figure dressed in flowing robes that reach to the floor, and sandals, which are just visible. The shoulders are comparatively broad, hence the assignation of male sex. The head is austere and very well-modelled, with sensitive rendering of facial features and hair. The neck is encircled with a decorative band – perhaps a necklace or the collar of the robe – and the drapery is extremely fine, resembling a tunic/toga arrangement with the end section draped over the left am. The right hand is raised in a gesture of benediction. His upright stance and austere pose are reminiscent of the Archaic Period Greek statues which the Phoenicians inspired, and with which this piece is roughly contemporary. The back of the piece is almost completely plain, implying that it was always meant to be viewed from the front rather than in the round, which is appropriate for figures destined for shrines. The piece retains some calcareous concretions from its long interment in the Mediterranean.

Antiquities
Ancient Near East