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arsinoeArsinoe 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.

 

 
 

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