Ancient Near East, northwestern Iran, Amlash, ca. 1200 to 800 BCE. A creamy white limestone idol each with a distinctive beak-like nose, a narrow torso that widens at the waist, arms stretched outward, and broad thighs that are huge compared to the body. Ancient idols like this one, that reduce the human figure 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. Were 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 figures raise more questions than they answer. Size: 2.95" W x 5.5" H (7.5 cm x 14 cm)

Bird-faced figurines like this one are found throughout the region. Although their meaning is unclear, most female figures found by largely male archaeologists of the late 19th and early 20th century were immediately given the title "fertility idol". However, more recent interpretations suggest that these figures probably had much more nuanced and varied symbolism, perhaps representing a goddess, a matriarch, or a worshipper.

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010; ex-Boisgirard, Paris, France, June 18, 2009, Lot 88; ex-private Esmerian collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s

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#149847

Intact, with light scratching and wear on surface commensurate with age including some weathering on the back. A few small chips and nicks from surface.