Archaic Terracotta Statuette of a Warrior

Culture: Cypriot

Period: 7th century B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 19.7 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 2390

Provenance: Old New York private collection. Thence US private collection Daryl Gruber Kulok (1960-2019). There acquired by the gallery Art of Eternity New York. Last in the auction "Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic" on 13 February 2020, lot 17e. With TL test.

Condition: Exceptionally preserved statuette with abundant original colors.

Description: For its quality and size very rare terracotta statuette of a warrior dating to the Archaic Period. The body, formed on a pottery wheel, is cylindrical and hollow inside. The tapering head with semi-circular, protruding ears, long, pointy nose and painted eyes and beard. The warrior wears a helmet with a crest turned backward. The left hand holds a circular shield with button-like stud. In his right hand, stretched out to the side, he once possibly held a spear. Magnificently preserved red and black paint. Figures like the present one were found in the sanctuary Agia Irini and other rural shrines in Cyprus. See for the type the example in the Medelhvsmuseet in Stockholm with the inventory number A.I. 0342.