Page 26 - Highlights of the Collection

Sphinx, mythological
creature

Greece or Italy, 600-500 BCE
H. 57 cm, limestone

Featuring the body of a lion, the wings of a bird
and the face of a woman, this sphinx was probably
a monument offered to fulfil a pledge. While such
figures circulated mainly in their male form in the
ancient Near East, the Greek artists who adopted them
gave precedence to the female winged form. Its style
is already partially devoid of Syrian-Phoenician design
constraints, showing a certain softness in the features,
an attentive gaze and a light, enigmatic smile that
animates her face, giving the sphinx a certain liveliness.

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