Lady of Elche, Iberian sculpture from the 4th century BC, though the artisanship suggests strong Hellenistic influences. Currently located at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain. It is thought to be associated with Tanit, the goddess of Carthage, that was worshiped by the Punic-Iberians.  The originally polychrome bust is usually thought to represent a woman wearing a very complex headdress and big coils on each side of the face. The aperture in the rear of the sculpture indicates it may have been used as a funerary urn. The sculpture was found August 4, 1897 by a young worker, Manuel Campello Esclapez. This “popular” version of the story differs from the official report by Pere Ibarra (the local keeper of the records) which stated that it was Antonio Maciá who found the bust. Pierre Paris, a French archaeological connoisseur, purchased the sculpture within a few weeks and shipped it to France, where it was shown at the Louvre Museum and hidden for safe-keeping during World War II.
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Lady of Elche, Iberian sculpture from the 4th century BC, though the artisanship suggests strong Hellenistic influences. Currently located at the National Archaeological Museum of Spain.

It is thought to be associated with Tanit, the goddess of Carthage, that was worshiped by the Punic-Iberians. 

The originally polychrome bust is usually thought to represent a woman wearing a very complex headdress and big coils on each side of the face. The aperture in the rear of the sculpture indicates it may have been used as a funerary urn.

The sculpture was found August 4, 1897 by a young worker, Manuel Campello Esclapez. This “popular” version of the story differs from the official report by Pere Ibarra (the local keeper of the records) which stated that it was Antonio Maciá who found the bust. Pierre Paris, a French archaeological connoisseur, purchased the sculpture within a few weeks and shipped it to France, where it was shown at the Louvre Museum and hidden for safe-keeping during World War II.

Source: Wikipedia

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