Description:

Ancient South Arabia, Yemen, ca. early first millennium BCE. A cast-bronze statuette of a camel with an erect head and neck, a prominent hump in the middle of its back, four thin legs, and a short tail. The body is nicely detailed, with musculature and feet depicted in a realistic fashion. The head is more stylized, displaying perky ears, round eyes, and a short snout, with all details enveloped in pale and emerald-green patina. Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 2.375" L x 1.625" H (6 cm x 4.1 cm); 2.125" H (5.4 cm) on included custom stand.

This camel is posed as if walking, a dynamic form for an animal whose ability to walk was prized above all else by the South Arabians. The camel was domesticated in South Arabia some time during the Bronze Age (ca. 3000 BCE), and rapidly became central to its economy. Camels allowed them to traverse the vast desert of the Rub' al-Khali, "the Empty Quarter", and were the main method of transport for long-distance trade north to the huge urban centers of the ancient Near East. In turn, South Arabia became famous as a source of perfumes and incense necessary to religious ceremonies in Mesopotamia and beyond.

Provenance: private Orange County, California, USA collection, acquired before 2000

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#131744

  • Condition: Expected age-commensurate surface wear, slight bending to legs and overall form, with small nicks to legs and back, otherwise intact and very good.

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April 5, 2018 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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