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Plant Scroll Enclosing Birds and Grapes

Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art

These four reliefs show some of the characteristic features of Late Antique Egyptian sculpture and the ways in which some examples were reworked in modern times. The carving of the panel showing a lion attacking an antelope appears to be ancient, although the surface has certainly been cleaned of any traces of paint. The same appears to be true of the scroll design enclosing birds and grapes. The other two scroll designs, however, must have been damaged in antiquity. They have been “restored” in the twentieth century: one with a clumsily posed human figure and an unconvincing lion’s head, the other with a pair of snakes and bird heads. Snakes and partial representations of animals very seldom appeared in Late Antique Egyptian sculpture. However, such “renewals” as these may have given more adventurous carvers the idea of creating the entirely new sculptures seen elsewhere in this exhibition.
CULTURE Coptic
MEDIUM Limestone
DATES 5th–6th century C.E.
PERIOD Late Antique Period
DIMENSIONS 8 11/16 x 20 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. (22 x 52.7 x 6 cm)  (show scale)
ACCESSION NUMBER 86.226.27
CREDIT LINE Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Coptic. Plant Scroll Enclosing Birds and Grapes, 5th–6th century C.E. Limestone, 8 11/16 x 20 3/4 x 2 3/8 in. (22 x 52.7 x 6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.226.27. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.226.27_PS1.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 86.226.27_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
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