About the Artwork
The eyes and brows of this head were originally inlaid in a darker stone and the "dimple" on the chin with bronze, indicating perhaps a tattoo that was probably meant as a mark of nobility or power. Other pieces have survived with the metal inlay intact.
The south Arabian taste for abstract forms is reflected in the treatment of the smooth beard and geometric hairstyle, combined here with a more naturalistic rendering of the face derived from Greco-Roman sculpture.
Male Head from a Funerary Plaque
between 100 BCE and 100 CE
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Arabian
South arabian
Alabaster
Overall: 6 7/8 × 4 7/16 × 4 inches (17.5 × 11.3 × 10.2 cm)
Sculpture
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Gift of Mrs. Robert T. Keller
1992.357
Public Domain
Markings
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Provenance
Cemetary of Timna, Kingdom of Qataban.Robert T. Keller (Grosse Pointe, Michigan, USA);
1993-present, gift to the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)
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Provenance pageExhibition History
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The exhibition history of a number of objects in our collection only begins after their acquisition by the museum, and may reflect an incomplete record.
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Suggest FeedbackPublished References
Henshaw, Julia P., ed. A Visitors Guide: The Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 1995, p. 100 (ill.).
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Credit Line for Reproduction
South Arabian, Arabian, Male Head from a Funerary Plaque, between 100 BCE and 100 CE, alabaster. Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mrs. Robert T. Keller, 1992.357.
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