Terracotta votive plaque depicting a pair of female breasts. Probably Iron Age in date. Purchased by Pitt-Rivers at Sothebys July 1871. [Dan Hicks 02/05/2012]

Collection type: Object
Description: Terracotta votive plaque depicting a pair of female breasts. Probably Iron Age in date. Purchased by Pitt-Rivers at Sothebys July 1871. [Dan Hicks 02/05/2012]
Geographical reference: Cyprus
Asia > Western Asia > Cyprus
Person: Maker Unknown Maker; Field collector Luigi Palma di Cesnola; PRM source Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers founding collection
Date / Period: Archaeological period: Iron Age, uncertain
Date collected: By 1871 July 3 ?
Acquisition information: Donated: 1884
Materials and processes: Material Terracotta Pottery, Process Modelled, Process Fire-Hardened, Process Moulded
Dimensions: Length: max 230 mm, Width: max 110 mm
Object numbers: Accession number: 1884.56.98 PR Cat other PR nos: 2422 PR Cat other PR nos: 3422
Research and responses: This object might be described in the following article: Nature 22 23.9.1880 p512-3 'A considerable series is devoted to the development of religious properties of various kinds from different parts of the world. Side by side are placed the coarse wax models of breasts, hands, feet, eyes and other parts of the human body offered up at the present time in Roman Catholic shrines in France and elsewhere by persons who have been cured of diseases in those parts and the exactly similar earthenware models of the same parts which were used for a similar purpose in ancient Cyprus and have been found there in excavations. It is most curious how exactly the two series correspond.'[AP Leverhulme project on founding collection 1995-1998]
The date of the above article in Nature does suggest that most of the votive offerings come from the collection of General Luigi Palma di Cesnola rather than from that of his brother Major Alessandro Palma di Cesnola, known as the Lawrence-Cesnola collection. It is possible, although by no means certain, that this object was part of a lot purchased at a sale at Sotheby on 3rd July 1871. The sale was the remainder of the collection of General Luigi Palma di Cesnola. The main part of General di Cesnola's collection had been sold at an earlier auction at Sotheby on 1st May 1871 [Note that only a tiny amount of General di Cesnola's total collection was actually sold - most of it went to New York to the Metropolitan Museum]. The catalogue of the sale on the 3rd July 1871 describes the sale as 'The Remaining Portion of Pottery and Greek Glass, obtained from Excavations made in the Island of Cyprus, comprising lamps with potter's marks, fine vases and objects in terra-cotta, incised ware, beautiful Greek glass, enriched with iridescence, antique bronzes, fine Greek gold ornaments, ... ' Lot 113 was purchased by someone entered in the auctioneer's catalogue as 'Fox'. This may have been Colonel Lane Fox. Lot 113 is listed in the catalogue as 'Votive Hand, Ears, Eyes, &c. and some small objects, engraved.' See the microfilm of the auctioneer's copy of this sale catalogue in the Bodleian Library. [MdeA 29.6.1999]

Search terms: Religion, Figure, Model, Pottery, Amulet, Religious Offering