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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.142
Title
Fragmentary Votive Figurine of a Winged Goddess
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
c. 600 BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Laconia
Period
Archaic period
Culture
Greek
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/173711

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Lead
Technique
Cast
Dimensions
3.7 x 2.2 cm (1 7/16 x 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Humfry Payne Collection (?-1936), England. [Galerie Gunter Puhze, Freiburg, Germany, 2001], sold; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (2001-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University
Accession Year
2012
Object Number
2012.1.142
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
Flat lead figurine of a winged goddess facing left. Long tresses of hair fall over her shoulders. Her long skirt is decorated with three patterned bands arranged vertically: diamonds, herringbone, and a simple line. A line across the chest indicates that she may be wearing a garment with an overfold, such as a peplos. The feet, top of the head, proper right wing, proper left hand, and tip of the left wing are lost. Other figurines of the same type show that the goddess wore a high, cylindrical headgear (polos), that she may have held wreaths, and that the wings were sickle-shaped. The plain back of the figurine suggests that it was cast in a one-sided mold.
Commentary
Small, flat figurines cast of lead were common dedications in the sanctuaries of Laconia, the territory of Sparta. Over 100,000 examples were found in the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia alone. Different types of figurines were mass-produced in one-sided molds with a plain back. They depict a winged goddess and other deities (such as Athena), warriors, women, animals (especially deer), and various objects, such as wreaths and branches. The winged goddess was the most common type and likely represented Artemis Orthia, but could also be dedicated to other female divinities. The ubiquity and often careless execution of the lead figurines indicate that they were affordable for a large section of the population. They thus reflect popular beliefs and practices.

Publication History

  • Melissa LaScaleia, "The Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia Revisited", Persephone (Fall 2002), Vol. 6, No. 1, 20-23

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu