Female Figure
General region:Asia
Culture: Halaf
Date: ca. 6000-5000 B.C.
Medium: Fired and painted clay
Dimensions:
2 1/2 × 2 × 2 1/4 in. (6.4 × 5.1 × 5.7 cm)
Credit Line: San Antonio Museum of Art, gift of Frances and Frederick Wilkins
Object number: 99.5.28
Provenance: with Frances Semaan Wilkins (1916-1999) and Frederick Wilkins (1916-2004), San Antonio, by 1997; Frances Semaan Wilkins and Frederick Wilkins, by gift to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1999
Label Text
This diminutive female figurine is one of the oldest objects in SAMA’s collection. The people of prehistoric communities in northern Mesopotamia, now called the Halaf culture after a site in present-day Syria, created hundreds of clay figures like this one. Many seated Halaf figurines emphasize female characteristics with pronounced breasts and large thighs. Little is known today about how these figurines were used in their ancient communities. (J. Powers, 2021)
On view
In Collection(s)
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.
