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A terracotta sculpture in the shape of a flat right foot. It is cut off above the ankle and the toes are long. It is colored pale orange with black and grey specks throughout.

A terracotta sculpture in the shape of a flat right foot pointing to the right on a white background. It is cut off above the ankle and the toes are long. There is a thin platform beneath it. It is colored pale orange with black and grey specks throughout.

Gallery Text

Model body parts were offered at healing sanctuaries to thank a god for healing the limb or organ depicted. Large deposits of these anatomical votives include detailed representations of internal organs such as uteruses and intestines. Unlike the terracotta eye and foot, the copper alloy phallus would have been riveted to something, perhaps in a home, for good luck. Romans often wore amulets in the shape of a phallus to ward off the "evil eye."

Identification and Creation

Object Number
2012.1.98
Title
Model of a Right Foot
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
4th-2nd century BCE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe
Period
Iron Age
Culture
Italic
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/56995

Location

Location
Level 3, Room 3700, Ancient Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Art, Roman Art
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Terracotta
Technique
Mold-made
Dimensions
4.8 x 9.9 x 4.4 cm (1 7/8 x 3 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Walton Brooks McDaniel, New Jersey (by 1943/46), gift; to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University (1943/46-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.

Note: Walton Brooks McDaniel gave a portion of his collection to the Department of the Classics in 1943 and the rest in 1946. The Collection is named for his late wife, Alice Corinne McDaniel.

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
2012.1.98
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Description
The mold-made votive includes only the ankle and foot, along with a sole-like base that follows the outlines of the foot. The toes are elongated and have modeled toenails.

This foot was not originally part of a larger statue. It was instead molded separately, probably in order to serve as a votive object in a sanctuary. Such anatomical votives are thought to have had a connection to healing. A worshipper might dedicate a votive body part to request that the corresponding part of his or her own body be cured, or as a thank-offering after being restored to health.

Publication History

  • John Crawford, Sidney Goldstein, George M. A. Hanfmann, John Kroll, Judith Lerner, Miranda Marvin, Charlotte Moore, and Duane Roller, Objects of Ancient Daily Life. A Catalogue of the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection Belonging to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, ed. Jane Waldbaum, Department of the Classics (unpublished manuscript, 1970), T28, p. 44 [D. W. Roller]

Exhibition History

  • 32Q: 3700 Roman, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

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