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Clad Female (Nike? Tyche?)
Byzantine, Coptic
Early Byzantine Period
4th-5th century A.D.
Medium/Technique
Bone
Dimensions
Overall: 13.1 × 4.4 cm (5 3/16 × 1 3/4 in.)
Credit Line
John Michael Rodocanachi Fund
Accession Number57.693
CollectionsAncient Greece and Rome
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionConvex bone plaque broken at the lower part. A standing female figure with head turned slightly toward the right shoulder. She holds a wreath in her right hand and is clad in a chiton and himation and her head is partially covered by her cloak. The identification of such figures has not been confirmed in the research (possibly a Victory or a Good Fortune (Tyche)?). she is close to another fragment 57.694 in MFA collection. This plaque might have adorned a wooden box or a piece of wooden furniture in the household of Roman and early Byzantine Egypt. Presumed to have been made in Alexandria and demonstrating the continuation of Classical themes into the early Byzantine period.
ProvenanceBy 1905: Joseph von Kopf Collection, Rome; by 1957: with Dr. Antonio Agostini, Rome; purchased by MFA from Dr. Antonio Agostini, November 14, 1957 for $ 300- (this figure is the total price for 57.691-699)