Description:

Central Asia, Bactria, ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. A beautiful example of a column idol (sometimes called a pillar idol), hand-carved from a mottled pale-orange stone with grey and white inclusions. The body of the idol is minimalistic and highly-abstract with an elongated conical form, and a single contiguous groove is carved around the entire sculpture. The surface is incredibly smooth given the age. A quixotic example of abstract anthropomorphic artistry from ancient Central Asia! Size: 6.5" W x 12.75" H (16.5 cm x 32.4 cm).

Stone idols like this example 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 southern California, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#142388

  • Condition: Small nicks to both faces, body, and peripheries, with minor abrasions across most surfaces, otherwise intact and very good. Light earthen deposits throughout.

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April 4, 2019 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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