Ancient Central Asia, Bactria, ca. 3rd to 2nd millennium BCE. An intriguing stone idol of an enormous form, hand-carved from a mottled forest-green stone with both dark and light inclusions. The idol has a tall, cylindrical form with an ovoid upper handle that tapers to a slender rounded end, a lightly protruding shoulder, and a stocky lower body that terminates in a dramatically slanted, acutely-angled tip. Thick encrustations in dark yellow-brown hues cover much of one side of the staff, and areas of red iron-oxide transfer imbue small areas with a pop of color. A rare and elegant example of fine Bactrian artistry! Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 3.25" W x 35" H (8.3 cm x 88.9 cm); 36.5" H (92.7 cm) on included custom stand.

Ancient idols like this one, that reduce natural forms to a simple collection of shapes and lines, are considered some of our oldest abstract art. They fascinate us today in part because they hint at a belief system and cosmology that we can no longer access or understand. Instead, we guess at the meaning - are they fertility charms? Representations of old gods? Were they made to be carried as apotropaic charms, or simply to be placed in tombs? Their mute sculptures raise more questions than they answer.

A stylistically-similar example hammered for GBP 23,750 ($31,064.83) at Christie's, London Antiquities auction (sale 10372, April 15, 2015, lot 62)

This piece has been searched against the Art Loss Register database and has been cleared. The Art Loss Register maintains the world's largest database of stolen art, collectibles, and antiques.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, before 2010; ex-private collection of Mr. Tomatsu Miura, Tokyo, Japan, acquired in the 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.

#143423

Small chips to tip edge, light encrustations and abrasions to handle and body, with minor iron-oxide transfer, otherwise intact and excellent. Light earthen deposits throughout.