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Model shrine with nude goddess
Eastern Mediterranean
6th–3rd century B.C.
Medium/Technique
Terracotta
Dimensions
Height x width: 26 x 14.3 cm (10 1/4 x 5 5/8 in.)
Base: 6 1/2 x 3"
Depth w/ Mount: 4"
Base: 6 1/2 x 3"
Depth w/ Mount: 4"
Credit Line
Museum purchase with funds donated by Alan M. and Marcia May
Accession Number1990.605
CollectionsEurope, Ancient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionThe plaque is a mixture of Mediterranean/Near Eastern styles that characterize Phoenician art. It represents the ancient Canaanite goddess Astarte, shown nude like the Mesopotamian Ishtar, but with an Egyptian face and wig. She stands within a shrine protected by typically Near Eastern snarling lions that support Egyptian columns surmounted by heads of the Egyptian god Bes.
ProvenanceBy 1988, sold by a private collector, Netherlands to Royal-Athena Galleries, New York; 1990, sold by Royal-Athena Galleries to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 24, 1990)