Description:

Ancient Central Asia, Indus Valley Mehrgarh period, ca. 3500 to 2800 BCE. A hand-built pottery rhyton (libation vessel) that terminates in a bust of a female fertility goddess. The vessel has a tapered conical body, a thick rim, and a small thumb hole on the base. The frontal fertility goddess bust boasts an elongated form with a prominent head, a large nose, circular eyes, full breasts, and impressed pinhole eyes, all flanked with a pair of striated coiffure lobes. Vessels like this were intended to be buried with the dead and may have aided their journey into the afterlife. Size: 4.25" L x 1.9" W x 3.375" H (10.8 cm x 4.8 cm x 8.6 cm); 3.9" H (9.9 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private California, USA collection, acquired over fifteen years ago; ex-Joel Malter collection, Los Angeles, California, USA

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#147774

  • Condition: Repaired from multiple large pieces, with light restoration, resurfacing, and overpainting along break lines. Minor abrasions and nicks to rim, body, and fertility goddess bust, with light encrustations, and softening to some finer details. Nice earthen deposits throughout.

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September 5, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000