Semi-circular plaque of female bust, the goddess Ishtar

Title

Semi-circular plaque of female bust, the goddess Ishtar
Associated place

Gloucestershire (place of purchase)

Babylonia (probable) (probable place of creation)
Date

Old Babylonian (c. 1900 - 1600 BC)
Akkadian Empire (c. 2350 - 2150 BC)
Ur III (c. 2112 - 2004 BC)
Isin-Larsa Period (2000 - 1800 BC)
Material and technique

terracotta, mould-made, and with a cream slip
Object type

figurine;

plaque
Dimensions

9.9 cm (height)
8 cm (width)
No. of items

1
Credit line

Purchased with the assistance of The Art Fund, 1949.
Museum location

not on display
Museum department

Antiquities
Accession no.

AN1949.920

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Catalogue text

With the bust of a goddess in relief; straight base; mouldmade; baked; cream slip on reddish-pink fabric; the plaque is complete and has a slightly concave lower edge which, on a suitable surface, allows it to stand vertically. The area behind the head is decorated with horizontal bands of incisions, perhaps to represent a basketry or woven (textile); backing, perhaps curtains; she wears a single-pair of horns on her headdress; her hair, dressed into three-part locks, falls on either side of her face; large pendant earrings flank a three-stringed choker necklace; then, below it, five rows of larger beads ornament the upper chest, framed by the draped sleeves of the garment with its patterned borders which are kept in this position by her arms held level at the shoulders; each hand grasps the hilt of a curved sword flourished on either side of her head; there is no trace of ornamentation on the garment below the necklaces. This type is often referred to as "goddess within a structure".

In: Moorey, P. R. S., Ancient Near Eastern Terracottas (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, 2005)

slip

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