This stylishly-modelled ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is unusual in terms of detailing and styling. It depicts an elegantly-dressed woman standing on a quadrilateral base with straight sides and an upwardly-sloping anterior aspect, and decorated with a raised border. The figure’s silhouette is largely the outline of the long gown that reaches from the apex of the head to the ground. Within there are details such as a well-rendered tie belt that indicate another garment (probably a tunic) concealed beneath. Detailing of the garments is exquisite, with folds and drapery rendered with great care. The hair is gathered into a solid layer beneath the robe’s apex, with some fronds escaping to the figure’s right side. The stomach and breasts are fairly prominent although the position of the figure is not as “bold” as most fecundity-linked pieces. The fertility associations of this piece are reinforced by the child she is carrying on her crooked left arm, which appears to be breastfeeding from her. The other hand is upraised in what is generally assumed to be a gesture of benediction. The face is elegant and sensitively-rendered, with a long nose, a pursed mouth set in a half-smile, a strong chin and moulded cheeks. The rounded 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