Female Figurine in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Female Figurine

Like many of the earliest female figurines, this woman is shown with rudimentary arms, large breasts, hips, and thighs, and no indication of lower legs or feet. Her head is small, with unrealistic facial features; it has been heavily restored. The figure was modeled in clay, dried in the sun, and then painted in several colors, with patterns that may represent tattoos or jewelry. Whether images like these represented real, ideal, or divine women, their main purpose was certainly to encourage female fertility.

Medium: Clay, pigment

Place Made: Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq, Turkey, & Syria)

Dates: late fifth millennium B.C.E

Period: Late Halaf Period

Dimensions: 4 1/8 x 1 7/8 x 1 5/8 in. (10.4 x 4.7 x 4.2 cm)

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Ancient Middle Eastern Art, The Hagop Kevorkian Gallery, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 1990.14

Credit Line: Hagop Kevorkian Fund and Designated Purchase Fund

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/124145/Fema...