Model of a Right Foot
4th-2nd century BCE
Description
The mold-made votive includes only the ankle and foot, along with a sole-like base that follows the outlines of the foot. The toes are elongated and have modeled toenails. This foot was not originally part of a larger statue. It was instead molded separately, probably in order to serve as a votive object in a sanctuary. Such anatomical votives are thought to have had a connection to healing. A worshipper might dedicate a votive body part to request that the corresponding part of his or her own body be cured, or as a thank-offering after being restored to health.
Dimensions
4.8 x 9.9 x 4.4 cm (1 7/8 x 3 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
Provenance
Walton Brooks McDaniel, New Jersey (by 1943/46), gift; to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University (1943/46-2012), transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012. Note: Walton Brooks McDaniel gave a portion of his collection to the Department of the Classics in 1943 and the rest in 1946. The Collection is named for his late wife, Alice Corinne McDaniel.
Related Artworks
View MoreTerracotta
17th centuryItalianMarble
19th centuryAmericanTerracotta
3rd century BCEGreekTerracotta
6th century BCEGreekBronze
20th centuryGermanMarble
19th-20th centuryItalianPlaster
19th centuryItalianBronze
20th centuryFrenchTerracotta
18th centuryItalianGreek marble, from Thasos or northwest Asia Minor
4th-5th century CERomanPale greenish translucent nephrite with russet veins
3rd century BCE-3rd century CEChineseCopper alloy
16th-13th century BCESyro-Hittite