**Originally Listed At $3000**

Central Asia, modern day Pakistan / Afghanistan, Bactria, late 2nd to early 1st millennium BCE. A fine stone idol or ritual object hand carved in an intriguing bat-shaped form. Featuring a flat base and lengthy columnar body, its luminous silver, grey, and cream form abruptly tapers near the top to a narrow neck with a bulbous cylindrical head. The idol is embellished with decorative divots along its smooth surface, giving it a dotted appearance, and is drilled horizontally at the neck, perhaps for suspension. Stone idols like this one are known in a variety of forms; however, their true meaning is unknown because there are no surviving written records that explicate how they were used. Were they used as objects of worship, commerce, torture, or everyday use? Whatever the case, this is a wonderful example from early Bactria! Size: 2.5" Diameter x 25.25" H (6.4 cm x 64.1 cm)

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection, 1980s-2000s

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.

#159246

Expected chips, nicks, and scratches, especially at base and drill hole. Rich earthen deposits throughout. Intact and excellent.