South Arabian Alabaster Head of a Woman

1ST CENTURY B.C.-1ST CENTURY A.D.

8 7/8 in. (3.49 kg total, 22.5 cm high including stand).

Carved in the half-round, the eyes with drilled pupils to accept inserts; mounted on a custom-made display stand.

Provenance

From the collection of Dr Mohammed Saïd Farsi (1936-2019), acquired between 1960-1990 at Christie's, Sotheby's and Mayfair galleries.

Literature

See Simpson, S.T., Queen of Sheba: Treasures From Ancient Yemen, The British Museum Press, London, 2002, items 126, 270, and 282, for similar portraits.

Footnotes

The eyes of these beautiful statues were inlaid with blue glass or lapis lazuli. These portraits could have been inserted in a funerary stele, but most probably this portrait comes from a statue similar to the 'Myriam of Tamna', as can be understood from the flat back, to which braided hair in plaster was probably attached.

CONDITION

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LOT 0242