Ancient Near East, present-day Turkey, Anatolia, ca. 2800 to 2200 BCE. A wondrous example of an abstract stargazer idol known as a kilia, hand-carved from creamy white marble. The trapezoidal artifact features a broad, pinched brow with an acutely angled edge, tapered lateral peripheries, a slender neck, and a vertically severed 'face' which perhaps contained a pair of minimalist eyes at one time. Kilia idols are highly stylized female figures carved throughout the Mediterranean during the Chalcolithic period and Early Bronze Age. Archaeologists have interpreted these figures as female and call them "stargazers" because their heads are tilted upwards. When first carved, the faces would have exhibited painted details such as eyes. Size: 1.57" W x 2.05" H (4 cm x 5.2 cm); 2.57" H (6.5 cm) on included custom stand.
Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance),
we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#154241
Condition
This is a head from a larger figure. Face vertically severed as shown, but likely occurred in antiquity based on the surface smoothness relative to that of the remaining surface area of the piece. Minor abrasions, nicks, and light encrustations. Great preservation to overall abstract form. Drilled through bottom of neck for mounting and display purposes.