This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually – for the  More »

This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually – for the Phoenicians depicted more goddesses than gods – it represents a male figure, standing on a square, integrated pedestal base, resting his weight on his right leg in a somewhat casual manner, his left leg bent and flexed forward. He is wearing a long robe-like garment that runs over both shoulders down to the ground, and concealing a further piece of clothing (possibly a tunic). His right hand is raised in what is considered to be benediction, his left tucked into his hip. The head appears to be covered with a textile cap or an extrusion of the robe. The facial features are slightly rubbed, adding a powerful monolithic quality to the piece. The pose of the personage is characteristic of Phoenician art, and also that of the Archaic period in Greece, which it helped inspire. 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 has attracted some calcareous encrustation from its long immersion in the Mediterranean.   « Less

This sinuously elegant ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is very unusual  More »

This sinuously elegant ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is very unusual for various reasons. Firstly, most goddess figures of this sort are framed by their long robes, whereas this figure is either naked or her raiment is so far pushed back that she is essentially nude. She is standing full-square on a plain integrated base, with either a column (or perhaps the robe) at her back to add stability to the figure. Her legs are straight, the divide between the thighs and the abdomen clearly defined. The abdomen is extremely prominent (even the navel is delineated), as are the breasts. The maternal identity of the person portrayed is hard to repudiate – even the standard “benediction” pose of the right hand is absent, both hands supporting the breasts. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the piece is the headwear. Most Phoenician pieces are attired in a manner more related to the classical tradition than any more ancient inspiration, with a robe that passes over the head and drops to the feet. Yet in the current case the figure is clearly wearing an Egyptian headdress, which betrays one of the Phoenicians’ great sources of inspiration but that is rarely seen in such detail. The face is simply yet effectively rendered, with a strong nose, a sharp chin and light brows. 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.   « Less

This attractive ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is a tall and linear  More »

This attractive ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is a tall and linear female example, with an integral, square base and a bowl placed before her feet. These receptacles probably imply that the figure received libations or gifts in order to grant wishes or bring about benedictions to her worshippers. The main form of the piece is defined by her long robe, which covers her hair and drops down to the floor. Details are sparse below the neck, but it is possible to identify the facts that she is leaning much of her weight on her left leg, that she has an unusually protuberant abdomen and that one hand is raised in benediction while the other is touching her neck. The significance of the latter is uncertain, although it is a not uncommon finding in such pieces. The figure is possible intended to represent pregnancy, although the robe is not open, and the breasts are not unduly enlarged, as is usually the case with fertility figures. The face is very serene and slightly austere, but with smoothly rounded cheeks and well-rendered features. The coiffure is rendered as a heap of curls, covered with the gown. The rather austere pose of the personage portrayed bears some affinity with Archaic Greek period pieces, which the Phoenicians inspired. 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 has attracted some calcareous encrustation from its long immersion in the Mediterranean.   « Less

This striking ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is slim and elongated,  More »

This striking ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is slim and elongated, depicting a male standing on a (partially restored) square integral base, his weight mainly supported on his right leg and his left slightly flexed at the knee. He is wearing a tunic (?) under a long robe that is gathered over the left arm and falls to the feet. The right arm is raised so that the hand faces forwards in what is generally considered to be a gesture of benediction. The detailing is good though somewhat worn by its long immersion in the Mediterranean, which has also given it considerable calcareous concretions. The smoothed features add to the powerful austerity that the piece possesses, which has much in common with the Archaic Period Greek statues which the Phoenicians helped to inspire. 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.   « Less

The Phoenicians were one of the most important civilisations of the ancient world, and flourished from around 1500 to 300 BC. Their world was centred on Northern Israel,  More »

The Phoenicians were one of the most important civilisations of the ancient world, and flourished from around 1500 to 300 BC. Their world was centred on Northern Israel, Lebanon and Syria, while their sphere of conquest and influence extended throughout the Mediterranean and even beyond the Pillars of Hercules (the Straits of Gibraltar) and into the Mediterranean-Atlantic. Their power was due primarily to their mastery of seamanship – which they developed to a whole new level during their pre-eminence – and extremely well-organised administration which was strengthened by extensive use of the alphabet. Indeed, it was the Phoenicians who introduced the alphabet to the Greeks, who in turn passed it onto the rest of the Western World. They were essentially Canaanites, to whom they were identical in sociocultural and material terms, the only difference being the massive range over which their cultural remains and heritage can be found. Phoenician society was comparatively stable when compared to the changeable fortunes of other Eastern Mediterranean cultures, primarily due to its broad royal, political and religious foundations. The town of Byblos became a major hub for trade all over the Fertile Crescent, followed by Tyre and Sidon; overseas territories notably included Carthage (founded 814 BC), but they either took over or culturally dominated trading ports from Cyprus to Malta, Spain, Portugal and Sardinia. They traded in purple dye (“Tyrian Purple”), textiles, luxury ceramics, silver, tin (with England) and glass, explored down the west coast of Africa as far as the Gulf of Guinea, and may even have circumnavigated Africa in around 600 BC. - (BF.005)   « Less

This large and imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is very unusual  More »

This large and imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is very unusual in terms of styling. The base is trapezoidal, and is decorated with a double bar/rim at the superior edge of the front face. There is a bowl at the figure’s feet, implying that offerings were required in order to curry favour with her. The outline of the piece is made up of the long robe which reaches from the shoulders to the floor, and which is underlain by a tunic with a tie-belt. The detailing of the clothing is excellent and well preserved. Her knees are slightly bent and her head bowed, implying that she is rocking forward and thus attracting attention to her breasts and abdomen. Her right hand is raised in what is usually assumed to be benediction, while the left – which is open – rests just below her neck. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of the piece is the headwear. Most Phoenician pieces are attired in a manner more related to the classical tradition than any more ancient inspiration. Yet in the current case the figure is clearly wearing an Egyptian headdress, which betrays one of the Phoenicians’ great sources of inspiration but that is rarely seen in such detail. There also appears to be a line of curls along the brow. 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.   « Less

This attractive ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is unusually compact,  More »

This attractive ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It is unusually compact, and also very gracefully-executed. It depicts a goddess standing with her weight mainly upon her left leg, the right slightly flexed outwards. The hands are tucked into the sides, although it is possible that they were originally in other positions, but have since been eroded through the action of waves and water. The patina on the surface may indicate that the piece was already old – and had perhaps received libations – prior to its deposition. The base is integral and circular, the feet and dress of the figure blending in seamlessly. The garment cannot be identified, but it seems to have wrapped over the apex of the head in a fashion often seen in these pieces. The facial features have also been rubbed, but this adds to rather than detracts from the presence of the piece. The rather austere pose of the personage portrayed bears some affinity with Archaic Greek period pieces. 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 has attracted some calcareous encrustation from its long immersion in the Mediterranean.   « Less

This intriguing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It has been heavily  More »

This intriguing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. It has been heavily encrusted with calcareous deposits following its long immersion in the Mediterranean, but the general form is visible, and is also highly unusual. The piece is unusually short and slender, and is elongated from front to back by the extraordinary base. The figure is seemingly female, wearing a long garment of some sort and with her hands flexed up into her body (perhaps in the standard Phoenician gesture of benediction). It is the base and the pose of the figure upon it that is especially unusual, however. The base is oblong, with ornate tapered edges and excised semicircles cut into the inferior borders. The figure is standing right at the back of the base, in the style of Egyptian figures on oblong blocks, a resemblance which is heightened by the fact that the figure’s feet are in the traditional profile stance – one behind and slightly ahead of the other when viewed from the side. It is rare to find a Phoenician piece with such an overt debt to Egyptian styles, for while they are known to have borrowed from the Egyptians, their artworks usually have more in common with the Archaic Period Greek statues that their work indirectly inspired. 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 high degree of encrustation adds rather than detracts from the piece’s presence.   « Less

This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually for the  More »

This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually for the Phoenicians – who seem to have had more goddesses than gods – it represents a male. The figure halts at about the level of the knees, and has been slightly restored so it stands correctly. The detailing of the piece has largely been ignored or perhaps eroded, which endows it with a considerable monolithic presence. The figure is very broad, but comparatively shallow from front to back. The major lines indicate that it is attired in a simple tunic, and that the head was probably covered with some textile that ran into the main garment(s). The lines of the face indicate high, sharp cheekbones, a long nose and a slight smile that is reminiscent of early Greek Archaic pieces. The arms have been damaged but it appears that he was originally standing with his right arm raised in what is generally assumed to be benediction, and the left resting on the hip/side. 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, and one especially impressive shell is adhering to the right arm.   « Less

This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually – for the  More »

This imposing ceramic sculpture is a votive figure from the middle of the first millennium BC, and represents a deity in the Phoenician pantheon. Unusually – for the Phoenicians depicted more goddesses than gods – it represents a male figure, standing on a square, integrated pedestal base, resting his weight on his right leg in a somewhat casual manner, his left leg bent and flexed forward. He is wearing a long robe-like garment that runs over both shoulders down to the ground, and concealing a further piece of clothing (possibly a tunic). His right hand is raised in what is considered to be benediction, his left tucked into his hip. The head appears to be covered with a textile cap or an extrusion of the robe. The facial features are crisply rendered and well preserved. The pose of the personage is characteristic of Phoenician art, and also that of the Archaic period in Greece, which it helped inspire. 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 has attracted some calcareous encrustation from its long immersion in the Mediterranean.   « Less