| Descriptive Attribute | Value(s) |
|---|---|
| Type | Male Votaries with Vegetal Wreaths and Fillets and Sculpted Votive Offerings |
| Title | Male Votary Head with Vegetal Wreath |
| Excavation Unit | 36 |
| Stratigraphic Unit | 3603 |
| Context | Found in a disturbed context, within a modern looter’s pit (EU 36/SU 3603). |
| Current Location | Larnaka District Archaeological Museum, Cyprus |
| Material | Limestone |
| Height (cm) | 9.2 |
| Width (cm) | 5.15 |
| Date | 500 – 450 BCE |
| Thickness (cm) | 6.15 |
| Weight (kg) | 0.298 |
| Description | Under- life-size head of a male votary wearing a vegetal wreath, truncated diagonally at the neck. The face is oval with flat, almond-shaped, exophthalmic eyes; a prominent, wide nose flares outward at the nostrils on either side. The lips are straight, slightly askew, with a hint of smile; the upper lip appears to project out a bit more than the lower lip. The ears are simple, high-relief blocks, without interior detail. The chin is round, although somewhat pronounced at its rounded tip. The neck is softly modeled with smooth transitions to the bottom of the jaw. The hair at the top of the head is represented in relief with grooves forming a diamond-shaped pattern until the hair meets the wreath. The wreath consists of a simple band with leaves attached; the leaves maintain a single orientation, slanting right to left. Beneath the wreath, a series of horizontal grooves would appear to delineate curls in three rows. The hair at the back of the head is carved only along the sides as thick locks on either side of the head that fall behind the ears in a downward, swirling pattern. Mild weathering; light beige calcareous encrustations throughout. Evidence of applied pigment on the bottom of the wreath on the proper left side of the head, just above the ear. |
| Commentary | : AAP-AM-2883 fits neatly within a group of under- life-size limestone votaries, which date to the first decades of the fifth century BCE, at the transition from CA to CC. Characteristics include simply rendered vegetal wreaths and long hair, combined with cursory facial features that almost seem unfinished, but are more likely short-hand carving for mass -production: exophthalmic eyes (represented in flat, almond-shaped relief) and schematic ears lacking anatomical detail. Likewise, in each the nose is straight and broad, with deeply -set, flaring nostrils. Other examples are found in the region from Golgoi-Ayios Photios (Hermary 1989a: 136, cat. nos. 264-–65), Idalion (e.g., Senff 1993: 34-–36, pls. 12a-–f, 13e-–g, and 16a-–c [BM C109, C111-–112 ([incorrectly identified on the BM website as female)], and C115]), and Kition (e.g., Gjerstad 1937 : pl. XVIII, 4-–5 , XXVI, 1-–2 and 5, XXIX, 1-–2). In fact, the similarities in style and execution between the Malloura example and other regional comparanda suggests that a single workshop may have been responsible for the production of this particular type. It is quite possible that Kition was the location for this workshop as many examples come from the Swedish Cyprus Expedition excavations at the site. If so, a regional network extending from Kition to the north— – to Malloura, Golgoi, and Idalion— – would seem to foreshadow the political changes that take place as Kition expands power and assumes control of Idalion in the fifth -century BCE following the Ionian Revolt (Iacovou 2002: 76-–80); given its location, Malloura would have been easily caught up in this expansion (Gordon et al. 2011: 29-–32). When the body is preserved (e.g., C112 in the BM and several examples from Kition), there is little attention to the structure of the anatomy beneath the long garments (a combination of chiton/himation); in most cases, they include hand-held votive gifts such as birds, animals, incense boxes, or other items commonly offered by votaries (cf. AAP-AM-1072;, AAP-AM-2800;, AAP-AM-3945;, AAP-AM-4457). These votaries point to an especially prolific period in limestone sculpture production in and around the Mesaoria that characterizes the fifth century BCE; in many cases, attention to detail and delicate carving of volume gives way to cursorily sculpted statuettes that suggest mass production to meet local demands. |
| Bibliography | Unpublished |
| Sketchfab Media URL |
Alternate link to 3D Model: https://sketchfab.com/3d-models/aap-am-2883-72c7f8fa4e2240e6b2b5059d57a694bd
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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-2883 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/fca2192d-f05d-47d8-a21b-0bdf2c1bc174> ARK (Archive): https://n2t.net/ark:/28722/k2pz5js47
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