Description:

Ancient Near East, Tel Brak, modern day Syria, Late Uruk Period, ca. 3300 to 3000 BCE. This marble eye idol presents a classic bell-shaped body surmounted by two hand drilled "eyes." The stone is also pleasantly tactile, smooth from age and perhaps touch from the ancient people that used this piece. Eye idols were named in the 1930s by the British archaeologist Max Mallowan when he was excavating at the mound called Tel Brak and found hundreds of small anthropomorphic items of similar form to this one - some kind of simplified body topped by large discs for eyes and no other discernible facial features. It was surmised these idols were used for dedication to an all-seeing god who watched over the populations of early Mesopotamia. He named the place where he found them the Temple of the Eyes. Size: 1.75" L x 0.75" W x 2.25" H (4.4 cm x 1.9 cm x 5.7 cm)

More recently, items like this one have been found beyond the Temple of the Eyes, leading French archaeologist Catherine Breniquet to speculate that examples like this one could have also been used for separating wool while spinning. This piece would have been placed in front of a seated person who used the holes to separate two or three strands and then twist them together. Artwork on cylinder seals from Uruk seems to support this hypothesis. Still other scholars have suggested that such they might have been lids for slender vessels or elements of an andiron / fire bracket.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#175746

  • Condition: Intact and excellent with minor age expected surface wear, chips and abrasions. Light mineral and earthen deposits in recessed areas and around eyes.

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November 10, 2022 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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