South Arabian Alabaster Face Stele

Culture: Sabaean

Period: 3rd-2nd century B.C.

Material: Alabaster

Dimensions: 17 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6397

Provenance: Collection Johann Emil Storm (1902-1983), received as a gift in the 1930s. Originally possibly from the Eduard Glaser collection, late 19th century, Vienna, Austria.

Condition: Some wear on the nose, some breaks on the sides as seen on the photo, but of a strong expression.

Description: Stylized head stele of a bearded man with an oval face. The nose is long and slender, the smiling mouth thin. Starting from the worked out ears a thin beard line frames the lower face half. The hair line is worked out, the hair is indicated by small engravings. The eye sockets are formed by the right angle of the nose and eye brows. A highly stylized head with a strong expression from the early Arabian period. See for the type the face steles of the Eduard Glaser collection in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Due to the collection history of the present head, which was in a Viennese family estate at least for 80 years, it is assumed that this example originally also found its way to Vienna with Glaser. Mounted.