| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
| Type | Male Votaries with Conical Helmets and Other Headgear |
| Title | Male Votary Head with Egyptianizing Headcloth |
| Excavation Unit | 10 |
| Stratigraphic Unit | 1033.101 |
| Context | Found in the construction fill of the hard-packed floor layer associated with the Hellenistic-Roman phase of the sanctuary (EU 10/SU 1099.101). |
| Current Location | Kallinikeio Municipal Museum of Athienou, Cyprus |
| Material | Limestone |
| Height (cm) | 14.69 |
| Width (cm) | 9.88 |
| Date | 600 – 575 BCE |
| Thickness (cm) | 13.9 |
| Weight (kg) | 1.53 |
| Description | Under- life-size head of a male votary wearing a headcloth, broken at the lower part of the neck. The head is wrapped in a tight, plain, Egyptianizing headcloth or kerchief, delineated by a shallow ridge low across the forehead, that which extends back to the fully exposed ears and ends in a compact mass at the base of the neck. The head is narrow and elongated, tapering in width from back to front, creating a thin and relatively triangular face when viewed from the front and top. The sharp, tapering effect blurs the transition from the side to frontal planes of the face. The stylized ears are disproportionately large, with a central groove repeating the outline of the ear itself. The eyes are full, rounded, and almond- shaped; they lie on a horizontal plane tilted slightly downwards to the right. The brows are arched and rendered by exaggerated relief bands; the eyelids are also modeled in relief. The brows converge and extend down the flat, thin bridge of the pointed nose, which has slightly flaring nostrils. The mouth is small with prominently pursed, straight lips. There is a general asymmetry in the details of the face, with the features of the left side carved slightly higher on the face than those of the right. The head is carved fully in the round, although the back is flatter and summarily worked; carving marks are visible at the back of the head. No evidence of pigment; faint, black splotches of natural discoloration passim. |
| Commentary | AAP-AM-830, which is among the earliest preserved limestone sculptures from Malloura, represents a common type in CA Cyprus: the male votary wearing Egyptianizing headgear in the form of a plain headcloth or kerchief (Faegersten 2003: 52-–54; Hermary and Mertens 2015: 58-–59; see also Markoe 1990 for discussion of the Phoenician role in promoting Egyptianizing traits). As Antoine Hermary and Joan Mertens (2015: 58) note, there are more emphatic Egyptianizing attributes (e.g., kilts, necklaces, and crowns) than the headcloth, which was adopted for a range of statue types. Nevertheless, there are few contemporary parallels from the island. In particular, the extreme elongation of the head, the pronounced slope from the forehead to the nose, the tapering of the face, and the block-like ears are distinct. A mid-sixth-century BCE head with plain headcloth from Kourion (Young and Young 1955: pl. 70 [st. 403]) is comparable in size and possesses a similar cranial depth of the cranium, but the facial features are much fleshier and naturalistic. The relatively flat, incised, and heavily stylized ears are rectangular in shape, recalling the structure of architectural moldings more than natural anatomy; it is quite possible that they were left unfinished (especially since one might expect delineation of the “‘double-lobe”’ earring, e.g., AAP-AM-1108). Close, but not exact, parallels for the enigmatic ears are found on a head from Golgoi-Ayios Photios (Cesnola 1885: pl. 31, no. 206) and a head (possibly from Arsos), now in Stockholm (Karageorghis 2003: 261, cat. no. 299). Given the lack of local comparanda, we might consider external influences for AAP-AM-830. Hermary (1989a: 481,; 1990 ,; 1991) has isolated a series of statues, termed “chypro-ioniennes,” which, despite their Cypriot character, are were most likely produced abroad (e.g., Knidos, Rhodes, Naukratis, and Samos; see also Kourou et al. 2002). One characteristic that is evident on several examples of this style is the exaggerated depth of the cranium and the elongated, narrow face. For example, a statuette in the Goulandris Museum in Athens (Charles Politis Collection, no. 22 ), as well as a statuetteone from Knidos in the Musée du Louvre (Hermary 1989a: 482, cat. no. 996) feature tapering faces and deeply -set ears reminiscent of AAP-AM-830. Still, such comparisons are fairly underwhelming; in terms of structure and style, the head seems homeless in Cyprus and is likely a witness to the earliest experiments in carving at the inception of large-scale limestone sculpture on the island (the disproportionate features and askew countenance support this idea). The Malloura head appears to blend several salient characteristics of Cypriot stone sculpture (high, arched, banded brows;, wide, staring eyes;, simple ears) produced at a time when the island was just beginning to respond to influences from Eeast Greek sculptural production (including, but not limited to, Samos; see Schmidt 1968). Such a style is exemplified by early statues in the Louvre of similar type (Hermary 1989a: 50-–51, cat. nos. 64 and 65) and a slightly later, well-preserved bearded figure with Egyptianizing headcloth and kilt from Golgoi-Ayios Photios (Hermary and Mertens 2015: 65-–66, cat. no. 49). A date in the early sixth century BCE is therefore proposed. |
| Bibliography | Counts 1998: 140-141, cat. no. 3 |
| Sketchfab Media URL |
Alternate link to 3D Model: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/aap-am-0830-3583fe1e247849bd853b605b2d837567
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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-830 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/c41240cb-54a6-4c03-99de-3dfc344c128e> ARK (Archive): https://n2t.net/ark:/28722/k2vm4m359
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