Isis Priestess with Amphora, Drumming Tambourine

Circa 1st-2nd Century BC

Very fine Romano-Egyptian terracotta figurine of a standing woman wearing the attributes of a priestess of the cult of Isis including elaborate headdress and sleeved chiton extending below her knees. Rows of corkscrew curls falling across her shoulder frame her face. She is shown holding a tambourine in her left hand which she drums with her right. Below the instrument, a large narrow wine amphora rests on a stand. Excellent, crisp detail. Circular vent at back.

Height: 2.6 in. (6.5 cm)

Length: 4.5 in. (11 cm)

Condition: Intact with nicely preserved with remnants of original polychrome over the medium-coarse, micaceous brown Nile silt clay.

Provenance: Ex-Harmer Rooke, NYC, 1970s.

Reference: For a later version without amphora now in the Museum of Classical Archaeology in Hungary, see Torok's Hellenistic and Roman Terracottas from Egypt, #155.

Price: $1,900