CSAI
Corpus of South Arabian Inscriptions

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BM 1996,0713.1


By kind permission of British Museum
photo
By kind permission of British Museum
photo
Reconstruction: R. Schulz
Schulz and Foster 2008: 115

DEPOSIT INFORMATION

DepositLondon, The British Museum, BM 1996,0713.1
NotesPurchased from Sotheby’s.

SUPPORT INFORMATION

Support typeArtefact » Architectural element » Architectural decoration
MaterialAlabaster
Dimensionsh. 18, w. 24.5, th. 11
Decoration
Figurative subjectGeometric motif » Chevron
Figurative subjectPlant » Vine scroll
Figurative subjectAnimal » Mythical animal
      Part of animal bodyBust
      Animal gestureWith forepaw raised
      ViewIn profile
Notes on support and decorationsFragment of a highly polished calcite-alabaster pediment with a high relief representation, which preserves the foreparts of a winged lion-headed mythical animal. The feathers on the wings are carefully detailed. The angular surface left is decorated with an oblique frame with chevron and vine scroll motif. Traces of bright intense red pigment.
The fragment is the upper right corner of a larger object, housed in the Walters Art Museum of Baltimore, depicting a nude female bust emerging from a vine spray and placed below a triangular pediment decorated with chevron and vine scroll motif. On both sides of the triangular element a pair of symmetrical mythical beasts (lion-headed, serpent-like body and a fishtail) with a nude youth, holding a short sword, with his knee on the animal coils (see Schulz and Foster 2008: 114-115, pl. 30).
The relief is dated to the 2nd century AD (Simpson 2002; Schulz and Foster 2008).

ORIGIN AND PROVENANCE

Origin
Modern siteMaʾrib
Ancient siteMryb / Mrb
Geographical areaMaʾrib
CountryYemen
Link to site record

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Pirenne 1957: 103-108, pl. VIl/aPirenne, Jacqueline 1957. Le rinceau dans l'évolution de l'art sud-arabe. Syria, 34: 99-127.
Doe 1971: pl. 9Doe, D. Brian 1971. Southern Arabia. London: Thames and Hudson.
Simpson 2002: 150, cat. 191Simpson, 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]
Schulz and Foster 2008: 114-115, pl. 30Schulz, Regine and Foster, Giraud V. (eds) 2008. Faces of Ancient Arabia. The Giraud and Carolyn Foster Collection of South Arabian Art. Baltimore: Man and Lion Press and Walters Art Museum.