Prayer for Help
Breast Case Scenario
Votive offerings in the form of a woman's breast. Terracotta pottery. Roman. Donated to the Pitt Rivers Museum in 1896. PRM 1896.15.4 and PRM 1896.15.21
According to the Byzantine monk John Moschus in the 6th century AD, a husband brought his wife to a holy man, hoping she would be cured of breast cancer. Female breast cancer disabled a woman in more ways than one: if a mother, she could not feed her children; if a wet nurse, her job was in peril. In addition to disfigurement, a woman who lost her breasts to cancer would be physically and economically disabled.
Brenda L. I., PhD & HoH (Hard of Hearing)
View the collections entry for the votives with zoomable image.
Plan of the museum's ground floor showing this trail location in the right (south side) outer aisle on the main court, in a desktop display case, on the court side, about halfway down the aisle.
This co-produced gallery trail was developed in partnership with the Curating for Change project. Supported by Accentuate and Screen South, the project provides opportunities for D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people to pursue a curatorial career in museums.
Find out more about Curating for Change
