Sem 114
By kind permission of Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
DEPOSIT INFORMATION
| Deposit | Wien, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Sem 114 |
SUPPORT INFORMATION
| Support type | Artefact » Sculpture in the round » Part of human body | ||||||
| Material | Alabaster | ||||||
| Measures | h. 24, w. 12.5, th. 11.5 | ||||||
| Decoration |
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| Notes on support and decorations | Calcite-alabaster human head, probably representing a man. Its back side appears unfinished and flat, the ears are not carved, the neck is rather long, the flat forehead ends at the hairline. These characteristics are typical of Sabaean sculptures which were inserted inside the niche of a pillar stela. The face features are well characterised, with full cheeks, thin and clamped lips, strait nose, which becomes wider at the nostrils. The eyes, without pupils, are only sketched and probably were finished by painting. Even though this face lacks the beard or the moustache, it shows a male look. The surfaces are well polished. |
ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE
| Modern site | Unknown |
| Ancient site | Unknown |
| Geographical area | Unknown |
| Country | Unknown |
| Archaeological context | Funerary context |
| Notes | For its characteristics and style, this head probably comes from the Sabaean area, and in particular from the necropolis of Marib. |
| Link to site record |
BIBLIOGRAPHY
| Müller, David H. 1899: 61, pl. XI | Müller, David H. (ed.) 1899. Südarabische Altertümer im Kunsthistorischen Hofmuseum. Vienna: Alfred Hölder. [Im Auftrage und mit Unterstützung des Oberstlämmerer-Amtes seiner K. und K. Apost. Majestät] |
| Satzinger 1994: 102, pl. 69 | Satzinger, Helmut 1994. Das Kunsthistorische Museum in Wien. Die Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung. Mainz: von Zabern. |