Page:History of Art in Phœnicia and Its Dependencies Vol 2.djvu/55

 ICONIC SCULPTURE. 33 Maronite of to-day, could stow away his seal, purse, and writing case. The costume was completed by a kind of toque or biretta, rather low in front, but rising high above the occiput. It is possible that the closer relations with the Mesopotamian empires which began with the eighth century had something to do with the change of fashion. We have already drawn attention to this costume as figured on the stele from Lilybaeum (Vol. I. Fig. 232), which was to all appearance executed in Sicily for a Carthaginian merchant ; it may be seen also, though less clearly, on a Carthaginian stele, 1 and, finally, on a stele from Tyre itself recently acquired by the Louvre (Fig. 29). It was discovered in the wall of a house in modern Sour, where after being curtailed of its original proportions it was doing duty as a window mullion. The execution of this relief betrays the influence of Greek models, showing that its date cannot be earlier than the fourth century ; its great interest lies in the fact that it is large enough and in sufficiently good condition to enable us to follow all the details of the costume. The winged globe at the top of the field would have been enough without any further evidence to prove the Phoenician origin of the stele. The same robe with its close neck and short sleeves occurs in a much more ancient fragment a fragment which can hardly be later than the sixth century (Fig. 30). It is the upper part of a votive statue like those which are so abundant in Cyprus. It was found at Amrit, in the well of one of those sepulchres which cover the ground so thickly to the south of Tortosa. Once, no doubt, set up in a temple, it must have been thrown into that hole at the fall of paganism. 2 The head is bare, the hair hangs down over the shoulders in long crimped tresses, as in many terra-cotta statuettes of women (Vol. I. Fig. 142) ; but even in its mutilated condition the head has preserved enough beard to prevent any doubt as to the sex of the person represented. From the analogy of the Cyprian monuments we may guess that he was shown in act to make an offering to the deity, one of his hands, no doubt, held out in front of him with a cup, dove, or some other votive object in it. A small stone statuette brought back from Syria by M. Guillaume 1 BERGER, Les ex-voto du temple de Tanit a Carthage, p. 30. 2 RENAN, Statuette phenicienne trouv'ee rccemment a Amrit (Revue archeclogique > 2nd series, vol. xxxvii. pp. 321-323, pi. xi.). VOL. II. F