Lot 58
Southern Arabia, around modern-day Yemen, Sabaean people, ca. late 1st millennium BCE to early 1st millennium CE. A hand-carved alabaster head of a woman delineated in high relief, perhaps from a funerary stele, presenting a quixotic visage comprised of gazing, wide-open, almond-shaped eyes, a dramatically arched brow line, an elegantly curved nose, and closed lips that suggest a subtle, endearing overbite. 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: 5.25" W x 8.1" H (13.3 cm x 20.6 cm); 10.125" H (25.7 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 Jersey City, New Jersey, USA collection, purchased December 10, 2018; ex-Artemis Gallery; ex-private Southern California, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to mid-1980s
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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.
#169900
- Condition: Expected surface wear with abrasions commensurate with age. Losses to peripheries and high-pointed areas such as brow line, nose, and ears. Earthen and mineral deposits grace the surface as well.
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