Fragment of a Pediment with a Goddess

Description The upper left side of this composition depicts an imaginary creature composed of an Asiatic lion's head, a serpent-like body, a fishtail, and wings. A nude child deity grasps one of the creature's wing with his left hand and holds a short sword in his right hand to control it. A smaller fragment containing the head of a similar composite beast in the British Museum might be the complement to this vignette. The lower right section depicts a nude fertility goddess emerging from vine leaves and grapes. With the increasing influence of Greco-Roman culture during the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE, new artistic styles and motifs, such as this female deity, became part of ancient South Arabian culture.

Exhibitions

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

Provenance Imam Ahmed, King of Yemen; given to Dr. Giraud Foster, Baltimore, 1962 [1]. Purchased by James Nash (dealer), London, May or June 1963; purchased by Giraud and Carolyn Foster, Baltimore, 1965. [1] The piece was housed in the palace of the Imam, and was lost upon the Egyptian invasion of Yemen in September 1962 after the death of the Imam. It appeared again in May-June 1963 in Beihan where it was bought by a dealer.

Credit Gift of Giraud and Carolyn Foster, 2014