Relief of a Copulating Couple in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Relief of a Copulating Couple

The purpose or symbolism of this relief is not clear. Perhaps it was a votive offering in a temple, a household item, or a tomb deposit. It may have conveyed the idea of rebirth through sexual regeneration. The affectionate gesture of the man placing his hand on the woman's cheek is most unusual. The significance of what appears to be a bird and of the largely destroyed image of another animal is unknown. The shape of the heads, the style of the wigs, and the robustness of the bodies are characteristic for art of the Ptolemaic Period.

Medium: Limestone

Place Found: Egypt

Dates: 305-30 B.C.E.

Dynasty: XXX Dynasty or later

Period: Ptolemaic Period

Dimensions: Base: 6 5/16 x 5 7/16 in. (16 x 13.8 cm)

Collections: Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Egypt Reborn: Art for Eternity, Temples and Tombs, Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Gallery, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 60.181

Credit Line: Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/3694/Relief...