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Source Description
This stela has no parallel. A woman is depicted frontally; her feet are pointing to her right, with both the tops and the sides visible. The gesture of the hands on the hips is unusual in South Arabian art; it may represent dancing. Adorned with bracelets, anklets, and a broad collar, the woman appears nude: there is a suggestion of short sleeves on the arms but no other evidence of clothing. The figure's unusual proportions suggest that she might be a dwarf; dwarfs were commonly employed as dancers and participants in rituals in ancient Egypt, and they might have played a similar role in ancient South Arabia.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
76489
label
Figure of a Standing Woman
core
obj
dtoType
sculpture
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
76489
sourceUrl
contentType
sculpture
stage
normalized
title
Figure of a Standing Woman
description
This stela has no parallel. A woman is depicted frontally; her feet are pointing to her right, with both the tops and the sides visible. The gesture of the hands on the hips is unusual in South Arabian art; it may represent dancing. Adorned with bracelets, anklets, and a broad collar, the woman appears nude: there is a suggestion of short sleeves on the arms but no other evidence of clothing. The figure's unusual proportions suggest that she might be a dwarf; dwarfs were commonly employed as dancers and participants in rituals in ancient Egypt, and they might have played a similar role in ancient South Arabia.
provenance
Sale, Sotheby's, London, October 19, 1970, lot 97; Giraud and Carolyn Foster, Baltimore, October 19, 1970, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.
date
5th-1st century BCE
citationUrl
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Sculpture
plaques (flat objects)
stelae
imageCount
1
pageCount
1
source
import
dimensions
units
cm
width
31.5
height
17.5
depth
5.5
dimensionsRaw
H: 12 3/8 x W: 6 7/8 x D: 2 3/16 in. (31.5 x 17.5 x 5.5 cm)
Source extras
med
calcite-alabaster
creator_ids
15549
collection_ids
SAY
exhibition_ids
2002
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
975908d4750d7d57