Syro-Hititte Terracotta Idol

Culture: Levant

Period: 2000-1700 B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 14.2 cm high

Price: Sold

Ref: 6543

Provenance: Private collection London, acquired from Spink and Son London on 27 November 1964. Thence with Sotheby's London on 8 December 1994, lot 175/2. With an old Sotheby's label.

Condition: A minor chip on the right tip of the nose. Otherwise intact and very beautifully preserved.

Description: Handmade statuette of a female goddess (Astarte) with laterally protruding pointy stump arms and a bird’s head face. The large eyes are circularly applied and deeply pierced. Behind the face trapezoidally towering hair with four holes, which possibly once held jewelry. The flat plank idol has a laterally far protruding pelvis as a symbol for fertility. Around the neck a necklace, which is depicted as a smooth indentation. The navel is also circularly applied and deeply pierced. The idol is adorned around the hip with a double-row chain, accentuated by incisions. The downwards tapering legs are separated by an indentation in the middle. On an old wood base.