4th-2nd century BCE
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.
4.8 x 9.9 x 4.4 cm (1 7/8 x 3 7/8 x 1 3/4 in.)
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.
Unfired clay
1st century BCE-3rd century CEIndianGlazed majolica
19th centuryItalianPlaster
19th centuryBritishBone
EgyptianWhite jasperware head on blue ground
18th centuryBritishMolded brick red earthenware with cold-painted pigments over white ground
7th-8th centuryChineseWood box containing various archival materials
21st centuryPortuguesePlaster
19th centuryItalianGreek marble, from Thasos or northwest Asia Minor
4th-5th century CERomanClay, unfired
Central AsianTerracotta
4th century BCEGreekGiallo antico
17th-18th centuryGerman?