Votive Plaque with a Head, a Pair of Eyes and a Hand
Unknown · Roman Imperial, first to early fourth century AD
A rectangular limestone plaque, twenty centimetres wide, carries three motifs in low relief: a man's head in profile, a pair of eyes and an open hand. Traces of paint survive on the worn surface, and part of the edge is missing. The carving is shallow and schematic, with the eyes rendered almost as a diagram, but the intention is clear: each element stands for a part of the body brought to the attention of a healing god. Look at the fingers of the hand, spread as if pressed flat against the stone.
The plaque comes from Golgoi, near Athienou in central Cyprus, a sanctuary site that has produced hundreds of votive sculptures and plaques from the archaic period to Roman times. Offerings of this kind were hung in the temple by people who asked for a cure, or who gave thanks for one, and the eyes may refer to sight, to the evil eye or simply to the vigilance of the god. Dated to the Roman imperial period, the plaque was bought by the Louvre in eighteen seventy-two.
Did You Know? Three complaints on one plaque suggests either a patient with a lot to worry about or a family that pooled its prayers on a single stone.
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