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TRAVELLING OBJECT · INTERCULTURAL BIOGRAPHY

Lady of Ibiza

This terracotta figure is related to the Punic workshops of Ibiza; it could represent Tanit, but this is not certain.

Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.

Image 1 of 2 · Main image
DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS

Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis

Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

Image 1 of 2 · Main image
Image of Lady of Ibiza
DECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · AI-GENERATED IMAGE · TRACEKEEPERS

Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis

Declared visual reconstruction; not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.

History and context

Punic-Ebusitan tradition: The terracotta belongs to workshops and Punic contexts of Ibiza; Tanit is a possible interpretation.

The same piece also appears in Insular connection of the peninsula. Duplicating the record does not duplicate the authorship: it allows reading manufacture, use, deposit and discovery from both routes.

Evidence and interpretation

Punic-Ebusitan tradition [documented]: The terracotta belongs to workshops and Punic contexts of Ibiza; Tanit is a possible interpretation. Island-peninsula connection [documented]: It is presented as a peninsular and insular connection, not as a piece of a continental Iberian culture.

Catalogue facts

Role in this museum
production
Location
Ibiza/Ebusus
Date
4th–3rd centuries BCE
Certainty
documented

A SHARED TOPIC, DIFFERENT MOMENTS

Objects connected through time

Follow a topic across the collections. A shared tag is a way to compare objects, not proof that one culture influenced another.

The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.

Terracotta8 dated objects

4 / 8In the centre: Lady of Ibiza

Also connected, without a comparable date (1)

These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.

A closer look

About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: .

The reverse also explains the figure

The body of the Lady of Ibiza was obtained with a mould, but arms and adornments were added later. A rear orifice allowed it to be hung vertically: the reverse reveals a possibility of presentation not appreciated when contemplating its front. The figure stands on a small plinth and extends the arms, with the hands closed and the thumbs raised. Its abundant ornamentation constructs a ceremonial appearance, not a direct example of everyday dress. Although it comes from the funerary context of Puig des Molins, its specific tomb and the accompanying grave goods are unknown.

Location and territory

Physical world map with routes of human evolutionPresent-day world coastline from Natural Earth in an equirectangular projection. The overlaid markers let you explore each milestone.Map base: Natural Earth 1:110m · public domain · present-day reference coastline

LOCATED SITE

Puig des Molins · IbizaMarker of the Punic necropolis.

Where it is held

Museo Arqueológico Nacional (Madrid)

Item or group in the record · Documented collection

Institutional study of the Lady of Ibiza, inventory 1923/60/541.

The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.

Cultural connections

Insular connection of the peninsula →

It is presented as a peninsular-insular connection, not as a piece of a continental Iberian culture.

Documented

Sources and references

Consult the piece and its provenance

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