Object Details
- Description
- Sculpture in the round of a standing human figure, of translucent alabaster. Eyes modeled with pupils; eyebrows are carved and recessed to receive inlays. Ears lie flat against side of head, with detailed interior. Mouth modeled with moustache and beard composed of regular rows of perforations. Nearly Roman nose, straight and modelled. Both arms of figure bent at right angles at elbows. Figure wears a long robe which extends below knee. Figure, although male, has two breast-like protrusions on the chest. Hips and buttocks schematically modelled on back side of sculpture. Legs and feet are schematically carved, lacking detail except for incised grooves on feet defining five toes. Figure stands on rectangular platform carved out of the same stone, with an inscription on front of face of block. Remaining faces of block are smoothed, yet uninscribed.
- Inscriptions
- Ancient South Arabian (Himyaridic or Sayhadic) inscription on front of face of block.
- Label
- This statue belongs to a large group of carved standing figures that served as funerary monuments in the ancient kingdom of Qataban (ca. 500-100 B.C.E.), located in what is now Yemen at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula. The inscription on the front of the statue base, written in ancient South Arabian script, gives the personal name of the figure depicted. Funerary monuments like this one commemorated the deceased, whose name was often carved at the base of the statue.
- Qatab¯an was one of several kingdoms that prospered in antiquity as they gained control over the caravan trade routes across the Arabian peninsula. Frankincense and myrrh, prized products of the southern peninsula, were transported along the trade routes to Mediterranean markets.
- Provenance
- To 1965
- André Emmerich Gallery, New York. [1]
- From 1965 to 1966
- Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981), purchased from André Emmerich Gallery, New York. [2]
- From 1966 to 1986
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. [3]
- From 1986
- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, transferred from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC [4]
- Notes:
- [1] See document from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, object file, Collections Management Office.
- [2] See note 1.
- [3] See note 1.
- [4] See note 1. See also object file, Collections Management Office.
- Collection
- National Museum of Asian Art Collection
- Exhibition History
- Ancient Yemen: Incense, Art, and Trade (September 3, 2022 - ongoing)
- A Glimpse of Ancient Yemen (August 18, 2018 to March 30, 2021)
- Facing East: Portraits from Asia (July 1 to September 4, 2006)
- Previous custodian or owner
- Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981)
- André Emmerich Gallery (1954-1998)
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- Credit Line
- Gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn to the Smithsonian Institution
- ca. 2nd century BCE
- Period
- Kingdom of Qataban
- Accession Number
- S1986.514
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Calcite travertine
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 46.4 x 14.2 x 8.8 cm (18 1/4 x 5 9/16 x 3 7/16 in)
- Origin
- Yemen
- On View
- Sackler Gallery 22b: Ancient Yemen: Incense, Art, and Trade
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- stone
- man
- Yemen
- Ancient Near Eastern Art
- Kingdom of Qataban (ca. 500 BCE - 100 CE)
- Record ID
- fsg_S1986.514
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye36339f8bd-a12a-43c9-945d-042dc1e2fc1b
