Lunar Goddess and Flying Victory

 

Only the left half of this lintel survives; originally, it must have been double in length with a matching representation on the right side. 

A protruding moulding frames the upper edge of the block. The angled left corner of a door frame is identified behind and between the feet of the Victory and the shoulders of the bust. The central composition in the middle of the monumental entrance must have originally been marked by two symmetrical Victories carved in high relief. They were shown in a pose of horizontal flight, both of them holding the same wreath in their raised hand. The lowered left hand carries a palm branch. The preserved Victory is depicted barefoot and clad in the customary sleeveless peplos fixed on both shoulders by rounded fibulae. The fabric of this long garment is slit along the thighs, baring the legs around and below the knees. The lower part of the dress, fluttering in the wind, forms a hem of ornamental loops. A bracelet is seen around the right wrist. The raised head is crowned with a tiara on top of thick, curly hair. The wings are spread and end in pointed tips, while the shape of the smaller downy feathers is closer to that of a circle. All feathers are delicately modeled. 

The bust on the right of the viewer is of a lunar goddess. The head is gently inclined forward and to the right. The garment is sleeveless and is fixed by round buckles onto the shoulders. The hair is arranged in horizontal strands on the sides, and a crescent crowns the front of the cranium. There probably was a solar male counterpart on the missing half of the lintel. 

Small portions of the upper edge of the moulding, the nose of the flying Victory, and the eye of the female bust are damaged. The surface is entirely covered by a thin dark opalescent blue patina.

Provenance: as-Suwaydāʾ. Acquired by the Museum on April 19, 1947. 

Era: second to third century CE. 

Substance: basalt. 

Dimensions: not available. 

Text: adapted from Weber (p 106). 

Collection: National Museum of Damascus. 

Thomas M. Weber. Sculptures from Roman Syria in the Syrian National Museum of Damascus. Vol I, from Cities and Villages in Central and Southern Syria. Wernersche Verlagsgesellschaft. Worms. 2006.