Ivory Statuette of a Reclining Woman in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 2010

Title: Ivory statuette of a reclining woman

Medium; Technique: Ivory

Culture: Roman

Period: Late Imperial

Date: 3rd–4th century A.D.

Dimensions: Overall: 1 1/2 x 2 7/8 x 1 1/8 in. (3.8 x 7.3 x 2.9 cm)

Classification: Miscellaneous-Bone, Ivory

Credit Line: Gift of J. Pierpont Morgan, 1917

Accession Number: 17.190.67


Description:

Ivory carving has a long history in the ancient world. The material, although regarded as a rare luxury, was used for practical objects such as handles, pins, and boxes, as well as for works of art. In late Roman times, pagan or secular subjects gradually gave way to Christian images, and ivory became a prestige medium in Byzantine art.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/Works_of_Art/collection_database/greek_...