Northern Syrian Idol of the Hama Type

Culture: Syro-hittite

Period: 1st third of 2nd millennium B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 13.7 cm high

Price: Reserved

Ref: 6358

Provenance: Private collection Peter Hollander (1931-2014), Amsterdam, Netherlands. Thence in a family estate.

Condition: The figure is broken in the middle and professionally reattached. Right arm reattached.

Description: Hand-formed statuette of an unclothed, female deity with outstretched arms and a bird's head. Behind the face is a trapezoidal hair structure with four holes. In the holes of the headdress, gold earrings were once attached, as can be seen in comparable examples. This type is typical for the beginning of the 2nd millennium B.C. in northern Syria. The idols mainly come from the Orontes region. They were found in sacred and private places. They were probably divine in character. It is possible that they were made in the sanctuaries, where they were consecrated, so that they could then be used in domestic worship. But it is also possible that they represent prayers. See the statuette in the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg with the inventory number 1941.10. Mounted.