Double-Sided Votive Relief (305–30 BCE): Art, History and Details

Double-Sided Votive Relief (305–30 BCE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

Trial pieces—carved on limestone flakes, or ostraca—and sculptors' models allow us to see how the ancient Egyptian artist approached his work. The four heads—a king, a shaven-headed priest, and two foreigners—on this large trial piece were doubtless practice sketches but nonetheless show the learner's keen eye for detail and for distinguishing different facial types. Others, such as the wild dog's head and the profile of a king in relief, are masterpieces in their own right, and were probably meant to be copied. The sculpture of a lion was left unfinished, which makes it even more intriguing; even in its roughed-out-state it is a majestic figure. The back of this piece is carved in the figure of a goddess.

Object facts

• Title: Double-Sided Votive Relief
• Date: 305–30 BCE
• Culture: Egypt, Greco-Roman period (332 BCE–395 CE), Ptolemaic dynasty (305–30 BCE)
• Type: Sculpture
• Technique: limestone
• Dimensions: Overall: 8.3 x 6.5 x 1.4 cm (3 1/4 x 2 9/16 x 9/16 in.)
• Collection: Egypt - Ptolemaic Dynasty
• Department: Egyptian and Ancient Near Eastern Art
• Accession number: 1914.666.b

Collection credit

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.