Goddess or Priestess

Description This statuette closely resembles the ceramic and faience examples found in the sanctuary known as the “Pillar Shrine” in the Minoan palace of Knossos on the island of Crete. Many of these objects are identified as priestesses or goddesses and are associated with fertility, painting the picture of a matriarchal Cretan society. However, current research suggests that most of the gold and ivory statuettes were made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. At that time, the idea of a Mother Goddess (now discredited by scholars) was popular in archaeological circles.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
4/14/1941	Treatment	cleaned; stabilized; repaired
9/18/1964	Treatment	repaired
8/12/1982	Treatment	cleaned; examined for exhibition
8/12/1982	Treatment	cleaned; repaired; mounted

Exhibitions

• Ivory: The Sumptuous Art. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. 1983-1984.

Provenance Feuardent Frères, Paris; Henry Walters, Baltimore [date of acquisition unknown], by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.

Credit Acquired by Henry Walters