Artwork
Female "phi" figure
DepartmentAncient Mediterranean Art
CultureMycenaean
Date1400-1300 B.C.
MediumTerracotta
Dimensions3 7/8 x 1 3/4 x 1 1/8 in. (9.8 x 4.4 x 2.9 cm)
Credit LineSan Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Gilbert M. Denman, Jr.
Object number91.80.64
DescriptionA small female figure of pale clay decorated with reddish-brown pigment. The pinched face is outlined on both sides with a dot for each eye. The flat, disk-like torso is decorated with wavy vertical lines, separated by a horizontal line from the narrower lower body, which is decorated with straight lines and flares to the base.Label Text(Group label) Small terracotta figures, mostly of women, but also of chariots and animals, have been found both at Mycenaean sites on the Greek mainland and at sites from southern Italy to the Near East that had contact with the Mycenaeans. The especially common “phi” and “psi” figures take their names from the similarity of the position of their arms to the shapes of the Greek letters Φ and Ψ. Figures of these types probably had several different functions, for they have been found in a variety of contexts, including houses, tombs, shrines, and sanctuaries.
(Jessica Powers, 2008)Provenancesold by Galerie Günter Puhze, Freiburg, to Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. (1921-2004), San Antonio, 1985; Gilbert M. Denman, Jr. by gift to San Antonio Museum of Art, 1991Published ReferencesGalerie Günter Puhze, "Kunst der Antike" Katalog 6 (Freiburg, April 1985), p. 13, no. 128.On view
Collections
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
