SculptureGreek7th-6th century BCE

Shield from the Votive Figurine of a Warrior

mid 7th-mid 6th century BCE

Description

Only the shield survives of this flat lead figurine of a warrior. The round shield is decorated with a 13-petalled rosette surrounded by a plain border. Break points indicate the position of the now lost neck, legs, and tips of helmet crest and spear, showing that the warrior was walking to the left, with his spear pointed downwards and to the front. The plain back suggests that the figurine was cast in a one-sided mold.

Classification

Sculpture

Technique

Cast

Medium

Lead

Culture

Greek

Period

Archaic period

Century

7th-6th century BCE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

2.5 x 2.2 cm (1 x 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Humfry Payne Collection (?-1936), England. [Galerie Gunter Puhze, Freiburg, Germany, 2001], sold; to The Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University (2001-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012.