A South Arabian Alabaster Figure of a Woman, Qataban, 3rd Century B.C./1st Century A.D.

probably from Hayd ibn 'Aqil, the necropolis of ancient Timna'

Antonin Besse (1927-2016) and Christiane Besse (1928-2021), Aden and Paris, acquired in Yemen in the 1960s

by descent to the present owner

Sotheby's, London, 7 December 2021, no. 6

acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Published

Christie's, London, December 16th, 1982, no. 112, illus.

Yémen, Au pays de la reine de Saba (catalogue of the exhibition at the Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, Oct. 25th, 1997, to Feb. 28th, 1998), Paris, 1997, p. 100

Sabina Antonini, La statuaria sudarabica in pietra (Repertorio iconographico sudarabico, I), Paris and Rome, 2001, p. 112 , C111, pl. 63.

This finely carved alabaster figure exemplifies the distinctive sculptural tradition of ancient South Arabia, a region encompassing what is now modern day Yemen. Carved from translucent calcite-alabaster, a material prized for its luminous qualities, the figure displays the stylized aesthetic characteristic of South Arabian figurative art: a frontal pose, simplified bodily forms, and an emphasis on facial presence and symmetry.

Female figures such as this are relatively rare within the corpus of South Arabian sculpture and are generally associated with religious and commemorative functions. Scholars posit that statuettes were dedicated in temples or sanctuaries as votive offerings, possibly representing worshippers or invoking divine favor related to fertility, protection, or prosperity. Alternatively, similar figures are known from funerary contexts, where they likely served as memorial images linked to elite burials or family tombs, preserving the identity and social standing of the individual commemorated.

The restrained abstraction of the form reflects an indigenous artistic language, while subtle external influences, transmitted through South Arabia’s central role in long-distance incense trade networks—hint at contacts with the wider ancient Near East and Mediterranean world. Originally, such figures may have featured painted details or inlaid facial detailing, such as extant here in the figures recessed eyes, enhancing their lifelike presence and ritual impact.

Originally from the storied collection of Christiane and Antonin Besse who lovingly built a collection of South Arabian sculpture while living in the then British colony of Aden in the middle 20^th century (see https://www.sothebys.com/en/digital-catalogues/ancient-sculpture-and-works-of-art-part-i ), this sculpture stands as a compelling testament to the religious life, social structure, and artistic sophistication of ancient South Arabia, offering rare insight into a culture whose visual traditions remain less familiar than those of its contemporaries, yet equally rich and expressive.