Page 27 - Highlights of the Collection
P. 27

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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