CSAI

Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions


By kind permission of British Museum

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

DepositLondon, The British Museum, BM 134694=1965,1011.2
NotesPurchased from Professor Robert B. Serjeant (1915-1993), collected by D.B. Doe, MBE.

SUPPORT INFORMATION

Support typeArtefact » Sculpture in the round » Human figure
MaterialAlabaster
Measuresh. 59.50, w. 29.20, th. 23.50
Decoration
Figurative subjectFurniture » Seat
Figurative subjectHuman figure
      GenderWoman
      Part of human bodyComplete figure
      Human gestureSitting, Arms stretching out
      Human clothes and attributesLong skirt, Belt
Notes on support and decorationsThis statue depicts a seated woman, carved of excellent quality, creamy white calcite-alabaster with red, purple and orange veining. She must represent a very important or wealthy woman, or goddess, depicted fully in the round with such fine attention to detail, particularly to the face and hair.
The whole form is rounded, rounded shoulders, she is seated on some sort of stool but that is largely missing, soft modelling, legs carved free of the seat.
She is wearing a plain full-length dress; the hands were originally outstretched and may have originally held offerings, but were broken off in antiquity. The figure is full, with broad hips, dimpled chin, round delicate modelling of the face, particularly the mouth, highly polished, kind expressive face. Two lines around the neck indicate the rings of Venus.
One eye has dark stains; the other has shell inlay although the inlay for the drilled pupil is missing. She has fine eyebrows, originally inlaid, a small smile, relatively realistic ears. Her finely carved wavy hair is parted in centre and is loosely gathered into a long braid, which hangs down the small of her back. The care with which this statue was finished at the rear suggests that it was intended to have been see from all directions, and thus may have been set up as a free-standing sculpture.
Feet broken off; no trace of paint; the nose has been reconstructed.

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin
Modern siteUnknown
Ancient siteUnknown
Geographical areaUnknown
CountryUnknown
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Antonini 2001: 60, pls 24-25Antonini, Sabina 2001. La statuaria sudarabica in pietra. Repertorio iconografico sudarabico. 1. Paris: de Boccard / Rome: IsIAO. [Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-lettres; Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente]
Simpson 2002: 118, cat. 126Simpson, St John (ed.) 2002. Queen of Sheba. Treasures from the ancient Yemen. London: British Museum Press. [Catalogue of an exhibition held at the British Museum, London]
Philby 1981: 70 (right)Philby, Harry St John B. 1981. The queen of Sheba. London: Quartet books.