Figurine of a yakshi or courtesan
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This ivory figurine of a bejeweled and garlanded woman was recovered during excavation of a merchant’s villa at Pompeii, Italy, in 1938. Similar to sandstone versions that bracket the first-century gateways at the Sanchi stupa, the figure has clear Indian origins. In 1973, a companion figurine was excavated in central India, making clear the region's connections with the export trade of Indian ivory to the Roman Mediterranean. This figurine would have had great appeal in early India, either as a representation of an ideal woman or a courtesan, such as those celebrated in contemporaneous Indian literature. It evidently found a ready market among the wealthy citizens of Pompeii.
Artwork Details
- Title: Figurine of a yakshi or courtesan
- Date: 1st century CE (before 79 CE)
- Culture: India, Western Deccan, probably Bhokardan, Maharashtra
- Medium: Ivory
- Dimensions: H. 9 13/16 in. (25 cm); W. 1 15/16 in. (5 cm)
- Classification: Ivories
- Credit Line: Lent by National Archaeological Museum, Naples
- Rights and Reproduction: agefotostock / Alamy Stock Photo, photo by Historical Views
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art