Harvard Art Museums > 1977.216.246: Dove Sculpture Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Dove , 1977.216.246,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/287841. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1977.216.246 Title Dove Classification Sculpture Work Type sculpture Date late 6th century BCE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Boeotia Culture Greek Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/287841 Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, Gift of Pfeiffer-Hartwell Collection Accession Year 1977 Object Number 1977.216.246 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Commentary This terracotta figurine of a bird most likely represents a dove, a bird often associated with the goddess Aphrodite. The dove represents love, beauty, sexuality, and other qualities consistent with Aphrodite. Doves are also thought to have a connection with death, as they are sometimes seen on grave reliefs of young children, perhaps as a companion for the dead. Doves were also a preferred sacrificial victim for Aphrodite: a terracotta dove such as this one would could have been dedicated to Aphrodite as a votive offering in place of the sacrifice of a real dove. Exhibition History A World Within Reach: Greek and Roman Art from the Loeb Collection, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 01/28/2023 - 05/07/2023 Related Works 1998.15.11 Pigeon Sculpture 1960.532 Dove Sculpture 1919.518 Statuette of a Bird Sculpture Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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
