Ancient Near East, Anatolia, early Bronze Age II-III, ca. 2700 to 2000 BCE. A finely-sculpted standing anthropomorphic idol of a characteristically abstract form. The figure has a rounded, tapered base which gradually expands to slender feminine hips, a lightly-corseted waist line, a smooth chest with a pair of conical arms, and a circular neck. When first formed, this figure would have boasted a minimalist head which likely bore no discernible facial features. The meaning and function of such idols remains an enigma without any written records from this era. Archaeologists have theorized that since fertility was prized by these ancient peoples, idols like this example perhaps took inspiration from the female anatomy, albeit in an abstract, uncomplicated manner which appeals to the modern taste for minimalism. Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 1" W x 2.625" H (2.5 cm x 6.7 cm); 3.3" H (8.4 cm) on included custom stand.
Scholars do not known for certain the meaning and purpose of these idols. However, it has been suggested that these figures were associated with motherhood and fertility. Votive idols like this one are known in a variety of fascinating forms throughout the pre-literate ancient world. From the truly abstract Kilia-type figures that are barely recognizable as human to the exaggerated feminine shapes of so-called "Venus" figures, people in the past, as today, had a clear desire to portray human forms and did not feel constrained by naturalism.
Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection, acquired at Arte Primitivo Gallery, New York, New York, USA; ex-Richard Wagner collection, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, acquired in the 1960s
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#143621
Condition
Original head missing. Small chips to neck line and one arm, with light yellowing to natural marble coloration, and light encrustations. Light earthen deposits throughout.