The Holy Family(?)
Description
Object Label: Many of the forgeries in this exhibition have Christian themes, probably because they were intended for American and European markets. The standing female figure here, for example, holds a cross. The way she holds it has no parallels in early Christian Egypt, however, nor does the omission of details on the back of her head and dress. Moreover, she has hair and eyes like those on other forgeries. The other two pieces here were carved in a poor quality stone not used in antiquity; they may be by the same hand. One appears to show Mary and the Christ child with Joseph. The figures are badly proportioned, and the plants draped along the arches above them make no sense. On the other piece, three heads appear, most implausibly, atop a column capital. Caption: The Holy Family(?), 20th century (probably). Nummulitic limestone, With mount: 12 x 21 1/16 x 4 in. (30.5 x 53.5 x 10.2 cm) Without mount: 11 9/16 x 19 7/8 x 3 5/16 in. (29.4 x 50.5 x 8.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Jacob M. Kaplan, 77.129. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
AI image analysis GPT-4o-2024-08-06
Machine-generated from the object's image on May 2026. Not curatorial; treat deities, names, and signs below as the model's best reading, not authority.
A relief depicting a seated female figure holding a child, surrounded by arching trees or branches.
The relief shows a woman, likely a significant religious figure, cradling a child, possibly of religious or cultural importance. The figures are framed by arches formed by stylized trees or branches that add a decorative element to the composition. The carving style is simplistic yet expressive, with an emphasis on the nurturing gesture. The background suggests a natural or garden context.
Cross-references (2)
- BKM-Accession 77.129 tier-2
- BKM-Object 103561 tier-2
About this record's data
- From the source institution — accession, description, dimensions, and dating are as catalogued by Brooklyn Museum — Egyptian, Classical, Ancient Near Eastern Art.
- AI-inferred — the image-analysis panel (deities, names, signs) is machine-generated and may be wrong.
- Approximate location — most map points are plotted at the site centroid, not the exact findspot.
- Inferred links — cross-references marked with a match method other than explicit-source-field were matched by us, not stated by the source.