Standing Female Worshiper in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 2007

Standing female worshiper
Limestone inlaid with shell and lapis lazuli
Southern Mesopotamia, excavated at Nippur, Innana Temple, level VIIB
Early Dynastic IIIA, 2600-2500 BC

Accession # 62.70.2

Statues representing members of the elite were presented to the temple as offerings or gifts, perhaps in order to receive the perpetual blessings of the gods.

Text from the Metropolitan Museum of Art label.

And from the Art of the First Cities:

Level VII of the Inanna temple at Nippur represents a span of time during which the temple was rebuilt and altered and it is divided into an earlier (VII b) and later (VII a) phase. Hundreds of dedicatory statues were found in level VII b as well as votive plaques, carved stone vessels, and inlay. This statue of a standing female with hands clasped in front of her chest was found buried in the plasterings of a mud-brick bench located in one of the cellas of the temple. The female's garment is draped over her left shoulder and falls in folds, which are indicated by two incised lines along the border of the smooth garment. The underside of the skirt is slightly convex, giving the hem a sharp edge. The feet are carved in high relief against the back support, and the toes and ankles are clearly indicated. The wavy hair is held in place by two plain bands, and curly locks hang down on either side of the face. The best preserved statues at Nippur were buried like this one within the temple furniture.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/explore/First_Cities/images/028BR7.T.jpg