Central Asia, Pakistan/ Afghanistan, Mehrgarh period (pre-Indus Valley civilization), ca. 2800 to 2600 BCE. A "bird-faced" Indus Valley female figurine, positioned in a crouching pose with her hands hanging at her sides. Incised lines give her a multi-stranded necklace or pectoral but no other clothing or physical decoration. 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 nineteeth and early twentieth century were immediately given the title "fertility idol," but more recent interpretations suggest that these figures probably had much more nuanced and varied symbolism, perhaps representing a goddess, a matriarch, or a worshipper. Size: 0.85" W x 2.9" H (2.2 cm x 7.4 cm)

Provenance: private collection of Dr. Evan Maurer, former Director of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (USA)

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#132106

Pigment is worn from head and legs. A few tiny chips but otherwise in excellent condition.