Fragment of an Ibex Frieze

Description The ibex, a kind of wild mountain goat, was a symbol of nature's energy and the power of the wild. The epithet "God of Ibexes" was reserved for the principal gods, such as 'Almaqah of Saba'. The motif of ibexes in a frieze or framed in a stela may represent man's control over nature. This fragment with two semi-recumbent (reclining) ibexes was part of a framed stela, which probably contained a dedicatory inscription in the central field.

Conservation

Date	Description	Narrative
5/12/2008	Examination	examined for condition

Exhibitions

• Faces of Ancient Arabia: The Giraud and Carolyn Foster Collection of South Arabian Art. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 2008.

Provenance Sale, Sotheby's, London, February 1, 1971, lot 81; Giraud and Carolyn Foster, Baltimore, February 1, 1971, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 2007, by gift.

Credit Gift of Giraud and Carolyn Foster, 2007