Loom weight with (A) Mother and Child and (B) Apotropaic Figure
3rd–2nd century B.C.
Intact pyramidal loom weight, with double suspension holes.
On side A, a woman sits and holds a child. She is dressed in a long garment whose drapery is arranged in a U-shaped pattern, and wears a veil on her head. The child is unclothed. Though no known loom weight parallels this image, terracotta figurines of Aphrodite and Eros are often depicted in this way.
On side B, an unclothed pregnant figure squats on a rectangular platform, knees and feet pointing to each side. She has a bald head, a large face featuring an open-mouthed expression, with protruding ears and a large nose. Her pose is reminiscent of Baubo, a goddess of birth found on figurines and amulets from Egypt, but her head and body both parallel the demon or god Bes and his female counterpart Beset.
The loom weight has beige-yellow clay, with a yellow slip.
On side A, a woman sits and holds a child. She is dressed in a long garment whose drapery is arranged in a U-shaped pattern, and wears a veil on her head. The child is unclothed. Though no known loom weight parallels this image, terracotta figurines of Aphrodite and Eros are often depicted in this way.
On side B, an unclothed pregnant figure squats on a rectangular platform, knees and feet pointing to each side. She has a bald head, a large face featuring an open-mouthed expression, with protruding ears and a large nose. Her pose is reminiscent of Baubo, a goddess of birth found on figurines and amulets from Egypt, but her head and body both parallel the demon or god Bes and his female counterpart Beset.
The loom weight has beige-yellow clay, with a yellow slip.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)