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THBTell Brak Pottery Eye Idol w/ Impressed Motifs
Lot 66
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$900 - $1,350
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Bid Increments
| Price | Bid Increment |
|---|---|
| $0 | $25 |
| $300 | $50 |
| $1,000 | $100 |
| $2,000 | $250 |
| $5,000 | $500 |
| $10,000 | $1,000 |
| $20,000 | $2,500 |
| $50,000 | $5,000 |
| $100,000 | $10,000 |
| $200,000 | $20,000 |
About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
May 9, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-05-09 10:00:00
2019-05-09 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Ancient | Asian | Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/ancient-asian-ethnographic-4110
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. All legally acquired, legal to sell. Satisfaction guaranteed. Convenient in-house shipping. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
Featuring classical antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art from cultures encompassing the globe. All legally acquired, legal to sell. Satisfaction guaranteed. Convenient in-house shipping. Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (374)
- Lot Description
Ancient Near East, modern-day Syria, Tell Brak, Late Uruk Period, ca. 3300 to 3000 BCE. A beautiful eye idol, hand-built from pottery, covered in an earthy orange slip. The idol is defined by a wide, rectangular base which traces upwards and diverges into a pair of thick loops which form the "eyes." The obverse, reverse, and peripheries of the idol are decorated in a dense motif of impressed dashes and dots, and traces of chalky white pigment suggest this artifact was at one time painted with vivid colors. Eye idols were named in the 1930s by the British archaeologist Max Mallowan when he was excavating at the mound called Tell Brak and found hundreds of small anthropomorphic items of similar form to this one - some kind of simplified body topped by large discs for eyes and no other discernible facial features. He named the place where he found them the "Temple of the Eyes." Size: 5.5" W x 4.2" H (14 cm x 10.7 cm); 5.7" H (14.5 cm) on included custom stand.
More recently, items like this one have been found beyond the Temple of the Eyes, leading French archaeologist Catherine Breniquet to speculate that examples like this one could have also been used for separating wool while spinning. The object would have been placed in front of a seated person who used the holes to separate two or three strands and then twist them together. Artwork on cylinder seals from Uruk seems to support this hypothesis. Other scholars have suggested they might have been lids for narrow jars or parts of a firedog. What do you think this mysterious object might have been? See a very similar example with its original shiny red paint still visible at the Louvre (https://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/eye-idol).
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-private Hirsch collection, Germany
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.
We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.
#141304This is a fragment of a larger item. Small chips to base, body, and eyes, with light softening to some finer motifs, and fading to original coloration. Nice earthen deposits throughout.Condition
- Shipping Info
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