| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
| Type | Divine Images: Cypriot Herakles |
| Title | Cypriot-Herakles Statuette Hand holding Lion |
| Excavation Unit | 36 |
| Stratigraphic Unit | 3622 |
| Context | Found in a clean-up SU at the beginning of excavation in 2013 (EU 36 / SU 3622). |
| Current Location | Larnaka District Archaeological Museum, Cyprus |
| Material | Limestone |
| Height (cm) | 11.6 |
| Width (cm) | 6.5 |
| Date | 600 – 310 BCE |
| Thickness (cm) | 4.1 |
| Weight (kg) | 0.317 |
| Description | Under-life-size left hand of a Cypriot Herakles holding the forepart of a small lion, which is broken across the mid-torso. The hand holds the scruff of the lion’s neck, pinched between the thumb and index finger. The right front leg of the lion is only partially preserved; the left leg is attached to a strut. The details of the lion’s face and mane are obscured by weathering, although the contours of the nose, eyes, and mouth are easily discernible. The underside of the lion’s body is smooth and flat. The limestone is somewhat porous. No evidence of pigment is preserved. |
| Commentary | Although fragmentary and weathered, AAP-AM-3350 clearly belongs to a divine type common in CA and CC sanctuaries referred to as Cypriot Herakles (Counts 2008; see also AAP-AM-120). The type features the god draped in a lionskin and holding a club in the raised right hand; most importantly, he masters a miniature lion, which is grasped by the back of the head and held tight against the thigh, as shown here. The type becomes extremely common after 500 BCE and it is likely that this example falls within the late CA or CC period. A late CC (ca. 400 BCE) Cypriot Herakles from Golgoi-Ayios Photios and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art represents a more fully preserved example (Hermary and Mertens 2015: 239, cat. no. 318); Antoine Hermary and Joan Mertens (2015: 239, cat. no. 319) published the forepart of a small lion, originally held by a Cypriot Herakles and dated to the fourth century BCE, which is similar in composition, especially with respect to its original position attached to the leg. |
| Bibliography | Unpublished |
| Sketchfab Media URL |
Alternate link to 3D Model: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/aap-am-3350-d2d9f7156a25401f8060a052fc00a51f
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| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
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Consists of
Vocabulary: CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) |
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Has type
Vocabulary: CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM) |
sculpture (visual works)
Vocabulary: Getty Art and Architecture Thesaurus Open Context References: sculpture (visual works) |
Suggested Citation
Derek Counts, Erin Averett, Kevin Garstki. (2020) "AAP-AM-3350 from Europe/Cyprus/Athienou-Malloura". In Visualizing Votive Practice: Exploring Limestone and Terracotta Sculpture from Athienou-Malloura through 3D Models. Derek B. Counts, Erin Walcek Averett, Kevin Garstki, Michael Toumazou (Ed). Released: 2020-07-28. Open Context. <https://opencontext.org/subjects/1f4508f5-b2e9-4e3b-a12a-20677e82a8e2> ARK (Archive): https://n2t.net/ark:/28722/k2zg70c92
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