University of New Mexico  //   Department of History Amaranth Digital Humanities Studio

B Vigil

Statuette of a Woman

Statuette of a Woman

This is a coppor-alloy statuette of a woman. She likely once had a spear. [Source](https://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/as/original/DP227159.jpg)

This is a coppor-alloy statuette of a woman. She likely once had a spear. Source

This object is from Byzantine in the 5th or 6th century. It is made from a copper alloy. It depicts a woman, standing proud. Her arms suggest she once held a spear. She may have been created as a depiction of a city, similar to Athena being the goddess of Athens. We can see upon her head she wears what appears to be a crown, suggesting nobility or some other kind of high status.

Contrary to the previous item of potential Byzantine origin, her outfit is almost completely different and unlike many Byzantinian woman’s style of dress. Her arms are full exposed, while sleeves were far more common to maintain modesty. This lends itself to the Met’s belief that she is depicting a city rather than a real woman. Her face is very distinct and is visually similar to other Byzantinian artworks of the time. However, her clothing is far more similar to a Roman style of dress. With the proximity of the two empires, and their connection, this is to be expected. With the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire and trade in the mediteranian and middle east, some styles did blend and was not seen as an outright rejection of local culture as well. According to Byzantine Dress: A Guide, “The incorporation of foreign elements into Byzantine material culture, which were then reinterpreted to the point of becoming constitutive and expressive of a Byzantine identity is, as we have seen, neither an outlandish nor an unknown practice.” [^source1] With the blending of styles in personal lives being seen as normal, it takes no stretch of the imagination to believe that artwork would reflect this as well.

Regardless, we cannot tell from the statuette alone what her outfit would be made of. We can estimate, however, based on Byzantinian women’s garments and from what was popular in Rome as well.

[^source1]: Jennifer Ball, Byzantine Dress: A Guide (Taylor & Francis, 2024).

Bibliography