Female head with elaborate hairstyle

Art Historical Context

This delicate gypsum alabaster sculpture, titledFemale Head with Elaborate Hairstyle*, dates to the Early Dynastica period (ca. 2600–2500 BCE) in ancient Mesopotamia, likely from Sumerian city-states like Ur. Standing just 1 1/2 inches (3.8 cm) tall, it exemplifies the exquisite stone carving of the Ancient Near East, where artisans skillfully worked soft alabaster to capture intricate details. The elaborate coiffure—featuring layered curls and braids—hints at the status and beauty ideals of elite women or deities, common in votive figures offered to temples. Gypsum alabaster's translucency and workability allowed for fine modeling of facial features and hair, often paired with inlaid eyes of shell and lapis lazuli in larger statues (though missing here). These small heads, possibly from fragmented figures, reflect Sumerian piety: worshippers dedicated them to gods for protection and prosperity. Discovered through early 20th-century excavations, this piece entered the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1950 via prestigious gifts, preserving a glimpse into a formative era of urban civilization, writing, and monumental art.