Balsamarium in the Form of a Deity with Winged Helmet
(Roman Empire )
This balsamarium could represent Turan, the Etruscan goddess of love and fertility, or one of the Lasas, deities who guard graves. The round, full shapes of the face and the detailed rendering of the hair and eyes enhance the sculptural quality of the figure. It possessed a lid (now missing) and could have been suspended by the two rings on the top of the head. It was used on funerary or cult occasions and as a perfume container.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Jacob Hirsch; Sotheby's, New York, 1988; Herbert and Marilyn Scher, Pikesville, 1988, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2002, by gift.
Geographies
Italy (Place of Origin)
Measurements
4 1/4 in. (10.8 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Marilyn and Herbert Scher, 2002
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.3004