Enthroned Woman with Infants

The enthroned woman holds four babies in her lap while breast-feeding the uppermost. The figure is one of many of the type discovered in a sanctuary at Capua in Campania. The sanctuary was consecrated to a fertility or mother goddess, possibly Fortuna or Juno. The exact intention of the donor is uncertain. This may be a case of a gift offered in gratitude for a successful birth or as a votive in hope of the same.