Elegant Elamite Lady

Elamite carving 8th C. BC

An elegantly coiffed and well fanned Elamite woman sits on a lion footed stool winding thread on a spindle. Her servant seems to have settled for perms. Guess what's for dinner tonight? This five-inch fragment is dated 8th century BC. It was molded and carved from a mix of bitumen, ground calcite, and quartz. The Elamites used bitumen, a naturally occurring mineral pitch, or asphalt, for vessels, sculpture, glue, caulking, and waterproofing. This elegant Elamite Lady has quite appropriately taken residence in Paris, at Musee du Louvre.