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This striking bust is a commemorative piece
from the ancient kingdom of Saba which ruled
over the lands of southwestern Arabia, centered
in modern day Yemen. Technically, the Sabeans
were one of four major powers in this area, also
including the Minaeans, the Qatabanians and the
Hadramites, but the peoples as a whole became
subsumed as a single entity by the middle of the
first millennium BC. Saba is perhaps better
known as Sheba, whose famous Queen was
recounted as having visited Solomon in the
pages of the Old Testament. The wealth of the
kingdom is legendary, and is primarily
attributable to Saba’s position at the crossroads
of the ancient world, receiving consignments
(particularly of incense) from all across the
Middle East, Asia and the Mediterranean basin.
The city of Marib was also in an ideal position to
control the trade route between India and Egypt,
although this lucrative venture was cut short in
the 1st century AD following the foundation of a
nautical route from India directly to the port of
Alexandria.
As well as being a highly successful nation state
in their own right, the Sabeans embraced the
multiplicity of cultural influences that came with
their status as a trading superpower. Their
alphabet – Musnad – was one of the most
complex and elegant of the day, while they also
had a second, cursive system (Zabur) that was
used for day-to-day operations. They
mummified their dead, had a pantheon of gods,
and possessed liberal attitudes to the deities and
traditions of outsiders. They also had a complex
social stratification system, extensive public
buildings and ceremonial architecture, and a
literary/theatrical heritage that survives in
fragmented state. It is for their art, however, that
the Sabeans are best remembered. Their religion
and mythology fuelled the themes of their
sculptural works – primarily anthropomorphic
and zoomorphic statuary – while their contact
with other cultures and nations led to a highly
derived and distinctive style. There are major
works in bronze, precious metals, exotic
minerals and soft stone such as alabaster.
This magnificent hollow-cast bronze bust of a
young man is but one example of the luxurious
nature of Sabean art. The piece depicts the youth
with a rather long face, high cheekbones and
what was presumably fashionable apparel. He
has large eyes with raised rims and traces of
inlay around protruding pupils. His straight nose
and brows are shaped into a “T” formation,
above finely-chiselled protruding lips and a chin
that curves gently into the neck profile. He
appears to be wearing a sleeveless garment,
judging from the straps passing over the
shoulders, but it may in fact be a suit of armour
as the frontal aspect is angular and appears to
be reinforced (and decorated with small punch-
marks). He wears two or three neck rings, and
his fashionably coiffed hair is surmounted with a
helmet-like piece of headwear with incised grape
decoration. The naturalistic rendering of the
features betrays a Classical influence that was
present all across Western and Central Asia at
that time. The expense involved in producing
such a piece indicates that the sitter was a
person of substance, and was just as socially
important as this piece is beautiful.
- (X.0027 (LSO))
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