April
14
/ 2021
Over three decades ago, walking up a wide and elegant marbled staircase passageway in a museum, a funerary relief bust of Haliphat in a secluded alcove first caught my eye. From that moment I was bemused by her uniquely intentional and well-formed hand shapes. I was hooked! For years, working in museums, I had seen and analyzed numerous statues and busts, but rarely had I ever come across anything like these lifelike hands which had been frozen in time some 1,790 years ago. I wanted to know what messages are contained within the curious shapes of Haliphat’s hands. As much as I’d like to, I’m aware that I can’t possibly apply our current finger alphabets to understanding her ancient hand
