On view
Ancient Mediterranean Art
Fragment of an inscribed votive relief,
ca. 390–375 BCE
Greek, Attic
y1978-3
This fragmentary votive relief preserves three worshippers approaching a god, whose hand survives on the left. The three devotees, an older, bearded man and two young children, walk to the left, holding up their hands in prayer. Above the heads of the children is a fragmentary inscription that records the names of the donors. An architectural structure encloses the scene, suggesting that this encounter takes place within a sacred space, whether in a more general sanctuary building, such as a stoa, or in the temple itself. Votive reliefs like this one were typically displayed at eye level on stelae, and were set up throughout ancient sanctuaries. Acting as a testament both to previous successful encounters with the god and to the potential for additional divine interactions in the future, votive reliefs were powerful tools with which to experience divine presence.
Information
Title
Fragment of an inscribed votive relief
Dates
ca. 390–375 BCE
Medium
Marble, probably Pentelic
Dimensions
47 × 34 × 9 cm (18 1/2 × 13 3/8 × 3 9/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Joan Prentice von Erdberg
Object Number
y1978-3
Inscription
Preserved inscription:
K A _ _ _ _
O L _ _ _ _
TH E O G _ _
A R CH I A [S?]
M Y R O N
L Y K I S K [O S];
Culture
Type
Materials
Subject
Acquired in Athens by the donor’s family in the 19th century; given to the Museum in 1978 by Joan Prentice von Erdberg
- "Acquisitions of the Art Museum 1978," Record of the Art Museum, Princeton University 38, no. 1 (1979): p. 14-38., p. 31
- B. S. Ridgway, et al., Greek sculpture in the Art Museum, Princeton University: Greek originals, Roman copies and variants, (Princeton, NJ: The Art Museum, Princeton University, 1994)., cat. no. 27, pp. 85-88 (illus)
