Arsinoe II
after 270 BC, Ptolemaic period
Since the inscription on the back of this figure refers to Arsinoe II as
a goddess, it was probably made after her death in 270 BC when her cult
was established by her brother and husband, Ptolemy II. The queen stands
in a traditional Egyptian pose, strictly frontal, with her left foot
advanced and right arm, hand clenched, at her side.
The statuette is a fine example of
the tendency during the Ptolemaic period to combine Egyptian artistic
conventions with those of the classical world. The style of her wig and
the cornucopia (a divine attribute) she holds are Greek elements, but
her stylized features and garments and the back pillar are
well-established Egyptian conventions of the period.