Lady of Baza

A funerary statue found in its original placement. It is considered a landmark in terms of our knowledge of the culture of the ancient Iberians. It is a seated figure on a throne, sculpted from a single stone block, stuccoed and painted in red, blue, white and black with a hollow in its right flank where the remains of a cremated woman were deposited. The robes and adornments reveal this was a woman of high social rank or status. This is corroborated by the throne on which she is seated and which recalls representations of Mediterranean goddesses. It has been interpreted as a funerary urn in the form of a mother goddess. It was found inside an underground chamber during the excavation of the Iberian necropolis on the hill at the Baza Sanctuary (province of Granada). It revealed a great deal about the artistic environment and burial world of the ancient Iberians coast of Iberian Peninsula and may be interpreted as symbols identifying a territorial group.

This was discovered on 21 July 1971 during excavations carried out by Professor Presedo Velo. Out of all the Iberian ladies, the Lady of Baza is the most interesting, as it appeared in its original context: in a tomb in a quadrangular grave surrounded by grave goods. There are numerous elements that make this sculpture a truly unique piece. Carved from a single block of stone covered with a layer of plaster, it was fully painted in blue, red, brown, black and white. The function stands out as a cinerary container for the ashes of the deceased, conserved inside the hole in the side of the throne. Stylistically, there is an attempt to depict a mature, regal person of robust or even coarse proportions, while maintaining a sacred nature by positioning her on a winged seat and placing a young pigeon in her hand. The type and decoration of the prominent pottery items forming the grave goods refer to the Orientalising world. The weaponry laid at her feet as offerings reflect the funeral rites celebrated with combats between warriors. This is interpreted as the depiction of a woman from the aristocracy of the city of Basti.