{"type":"artobject","objectid":5840,"objectnumber":"2000-344","sortnumber":"2000  344","displaytitle":"Votive uterus","department":"Ancient, Byzantine, and Islamic Art","classification":"Ceramic","datebegin":-300,"dateend":101,"datecomputed":-100,"daterange":"1000 B.C.-A.D 1","displaydate":"3rd–2nd century BCE","medium":"Terracotta","dimensions":"5.2 x 12.2 x 7.9 cm (2 1/16 x 4 13/16 x 3 1/8 in.)","dimensionsproposed":"","creditline":"Museum purchase, Classical Purchase Fund","markings":null,"inscribed":null,"signed":null,"catalograisonne":null,"creditlinerepro":"","restrictions":null,"nowebuse":"False","secondaryobjectnumber":null,"campuscollections":"false","on_view":false,"accessionyear":"2000-01-01","newaccession":0,"titles":[{"title":"Votive uterus","titletype":"Primary Title","displayorder":1}],"makers":[],"depicted":[],"texts":[{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Special Exhibition","textentryhtml":"Thousands of molded clay objects like this have been found in sanctuaries in central Italy and Etruria dating from the third and second centuries B.C. Their identification as wombs—uteri—is maintained against a wider backdrop of anatomical votive clay offerings—feet, hands, eyes, entire gastrointestinal tracts. It is assumed that women dedicated these wombs to goddesses who could help them in childbirth, or with related gynecological maladies. This widespread interpretation does not explain why these corded objects do not really look like wombs, which most ancient people would never have seen.","remarks":"States of Health"},{"texttype":"Online","textpurpose":"Provenance","textentryhtml":"Acquired by Fortuna Fine Arts, Ltd. (New York), at an unknown date from an unknown source; purchased by the Museum (Classical Purchase Fund) in 2000 from Fortuna Fine Arts.\n","remarks":null}],"media":[{"id":225280,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2036915","isprimary":1,"rank":1,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"PUAM Photo"},{"id":225281,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2036916","isprimary":0,"rank":3,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"PUAM Photo"},{"id":225282,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2036917","isprimary":0,"rank":2,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"PUAM Photo"}],"hasimage":"true","bibliography":[{"boilertext":"\"Acquisitions of the Art Museum 2000,\" <em>Record of the Princeton University Art Museum</em><i> </i>60 (2001): p.&nbsp;66-93.","citation":"\"Acquisitions of the Art Museum 2000,\" <em>Record of the Princeton University Art Museum</em><i> </i>60 (2001): p.&nbsp;66-93., p. 88 (illus.)","date":2001,"id":941,"uri":"https://www.jstor.org/stable/3774812"}],"exhibitions":[{"exhibitionid":3617,"citation":"States of Health: Visualizing Illness and Healing (November 2, 2019 –Sunday, February 2, 2020)","isvirtual":true,"begindate":"2019-11-02","enddate":"2020-02-02","uri":"https://artmuseum.princeton.edu/art/exhibitions/3617"}],"geography":[],"terms":[{"id":2036714,"term":"Etruscan","aatid":300020471,"termtype":"Culture"},{"id":2097996,"term":"female","aatid":300189557,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2055252,"term":"terracottas","aatid":300047296,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2049054,"term":"votive offerings","aatid":300178244,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2188699,"term":"genitals (animal components)","aatid":null,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2135426,"term":"births","aatid":300069672,"termtype":"Subject"},{"id":2049167,"term":"ceramics","aatid":300151343,"termtype":"Classification"},{"id":2160936,"term":"terracotta","aatid":300010669,"termtype":"Materials"}],"classifications":[{"id":2055252,"classification":"terracottas"},{"id":2049054,"classification":"votive offerings"},{"id":2049167,"classification":"ceramics"}],"cultures":[{"id":13443,"culture":"Etruscan","alphasort":"Etruscan","begindate":0,"enddate":0,"displayculture":"Etruscan","displaydate":null}],"cultureterms":[{"id":2036714,"culture":"Etruscan"}],"periods":[],"periodterms":[],"attribute_groups":[{"id":2199316,"term":"Ancient Mediterranean Art","termtype":"Collecting Area"}],"dimensionelements":[{"element":"Overall","type":"Height","units":"centimeters","dimension":"5.20"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Width","units":"centimeters","dimension":"12.20"},{"element":"Overall","type":"Depth","units":"centimeters","dimension":"7.90"}],"packages":[{"packageid":194314,"name":"PUAM_States of Health"},{"packageid":231040,"name":"2023_HUM216/217_09_22"},{"packageid":188489,"name":"web_SOH_6"},{"packageid":216638,"name":"2022_HUM216/217_10_14"},{"packageid":207234,"name":"SAB_Gala2021"},{"packageid":181991,"name":"web_2020_ancient_study_corridor"}],"primaryimage":["https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/PUAMSTU2036915"],"displaymaker":null,"displayculture":"Etruscan","displayperiod":null,"caption":"Etruscan, 3rd–2nd century BCE, Votive uterus. Terracotta; 5.2 x 12.2 x 7.9 cm. Museum purchase, Classical Purchase Fund (2000-344)","captionhtml":"Etruscan, 3rd–2nd century BCE, <i>Votive uterus</i>. Terracotta; 5.2 x 12.2 x 7.9 cm. Museum purchase, Classical Purchase Fund (2000-344)","published_date":"2026-02-11 07:41:10.531044","campusart":[{"campuscollections":"false","campusart":0,"neighborhood":null,"lat":null,"lon":null}],"extended_content":false}