Pair of votive breasts
- Made:
- 600-200 BCE in Greece
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LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
License
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Pair of votive breasts, marble, on inscribed slab, Greek, 600BC-200BC
Votive offerings are those left in sacred places to ask for, or express gratitude for, healing. They are often made in the shape of the affected body part. Some are bespoke pieces, like this marble example. Others are mass-produced from cheaper materials such as terracotta and wax. Although it originated in earlier cultures, the phenomenon thrived in Ancient Roman Italy between 400 and 100 BC. It persists today in many faiths, including Christianity and Hinduism.
Details
- Category:
- Classical & Medieval Medicine
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A163983
- Materials:
- marble
- Measurements:
-
overall: 155 mm x 270 mm x 78 mm, 3.72 kg
- type:
- votive breast
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)
