Description:

Southern Arabia, around modern-day Yemen, Sabaean people, ca. late 1st millennium BCE to early 1st millennium CE. A wonderful abstract carving of a face, hand-sculpted in high relief from milky alabaster. Ovoid in form, the minimalist visage is comprised of a heavy brow, a straight nose, and a petite, gentle smile. The stylized expression as well as the elongated face and neck of this ancient work call to mind the modernist faces of Amadeo Modigliani's highly stylized, almost mask-like portraits - making for fascinating parallels between ancient and modern visual culture. Size: 3" L x 5" W x 6.1" H (7.6 cm x 12.7 cm x 15.5 cm); 7.8" H (19.8 cm) on included custom stand.

During the first millennium BCE, this part of the world saw several kingdoms - Qataban, Saba (Sheba), and Himyar - emerge that had built their wealth upon desert trade and in particular frankincense and myrrh. The people of these kingdoms created figural representations from alabaster and other stones, including stele with high relief faces honoring the deceased like this one.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection

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#190026

  • Condition: Expected surface wear with nicks and abrasions commensurate with age. Losses to peripheries as shown. Earthen and mineral deposits grace the surface as well.

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November 15, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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