This stunning sculpture was used as a grave- marker and belongs to a distinctive group of South Arabian dedication plaques. It depicts the bust of a woman in high relief against a rectangular slab. Other examples of this type have inscriptions along the base which often name the deceased and/or the god to whom they had a special devotion. The Sabeans were polytheistic until the late 4th century AD. It is likely that this piece also had a dedication which is now lost. The woman is shown in a characteristic pose with her right arm raised and her left held across the chest just beneath her ample breasts. Other surviving pieces depict the woman holding a sheath of wheat in her left hand, a symbol associated with fertility. It is likely that the large breasts perform a similar function here. She wears a high-neck short- sleeve tunic. Only the hairline is depicted along the top edge. The hair may have been lost or it could have been added separately in plaster, which was common on other funerary sculpture from Yemen. The eyes and eyebrows may have originally been highlighted with red or black pigment. Origin: Yemen
Circa: 200 BC to 200 AD Dimensions: 8" (20.3cm) high x 8" (20.3cm) wide Collection: Biblical
Style: Sabean Medium: Stone

Antiquities
Ancient Near East