H x W x D: 21.4 x 15 x 8.8 cm (8 7/16 x 5 7/8 x 3 7/16 in)
Type:
Sculpture
Origin:
Yemen
Date:
300 BCE-100 CE
Description:
Head of a bearded male, carved from transluscent alabaster. highly modelled, probably meant to be viewed only from the front. The facial features are rendered in detail. The eyes are recessed, and once held shell or stone inlays. The ears protrude perpendicular to the beard with interior detail incised for a schematic rendering. The nose is straight with indication of nostrils, and the lips are modelled. The beard, which extends from ear to ear, is smoothed on the front edge, but not on the bottom. The entire face rests in a smooth background field of the same stone.
The sculpture is in good condition, with very few scratches on the smooth and polished surface. There are several black flecks in the recessed eyes, where the inlays would have been placed, and on the nose. It is not clear whether these imperfections are remains of adhesive substances or soil.
Provenance:
To 1965
André Emmerich Gallery, New York. [1]
From 1965 to 1966
Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1899-1981), purchased from André Emmerich Gallery, New York. [2]
From 1966 to 1986
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn. [3]
From 1986
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, transferred from Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC [4]
Notes:
[1] See document from the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, object file, Collections Management Office.
[2] See note 1.
[3] See note 1.
[4] See note 1. See also object file, Collections Management Office.