Early Byzantine Plaque with a Female Figure in the Walters Art Museum, September 2009

Plaque with a Female Figure


Creators: Byzantine (Artist) or Coptic (Artist)

Period: 4th century (Late Antique)

Medium: bone (Ivory & Bone)

Accession Number: 71.34

Measurements: 7 5/16 x 2 7/16 x 13/16 in. (18.6 x 6.2 x 2 cm)

Geographies: Egypt (Place of Origin), Alexandria, Egypt (Place of Discovery)

This carving of a partially nude woman draped in a cloth was most likely used to decorate a piece of household furniture. The plaque, found at Alexandria (in Northern Egypt), was buried in the earth for many centuries, causing the mottled and flaking appearance of the bone.

Text from: art.thewalters.org/detail/24369/plaque-with-a-female-figure/