Description:

Ancient Near East, Syro-Hittite, ca. 2800 to 1500 BCE. A fascinating, highly abstract bronze idol of highly abstract form, with a long, pin-like body, two inwardly curved arms, and a diamond-shaped head with a tall point rising from it. Two tiny dots form eyes around a ridge that serves as the nose. Ancient idols like this one, that reduce the human figure to a simple collection of shapes and lines, are considered some of our oldest abstract art. They fascinate us today in part because they hint at a belief system and cosmology that we can no longer access or understand. Instead, we guess at the meaning - Are they fertility charms? Representations of old gods? Were they made to be carried as apotropaic charms, or simply to be placed in tombs? Their mute figures raise more questions than they answer. Size: 0.8" W x 4.55" H (2 cm x 11.6 cm); 5.25" H (13.3 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#137138

  • Condition: Intact, with mottled patina and encrustation on surface.

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October 25, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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