An Anatolian Marble ‘Star Gazer’ Figure

Marble
Anatolian
Early Bronze Age / Circa 2700 - 2100 BC

Size: 5cm high, 3cm wide - 2 ins high, 1¼ ins high

The highly stylised oval head with two small ears and long nasal ridge leans slightly back. A short neck to broad rounded shoulders, deep oblique grooves delineate the arms at the back, with the forearms bent upwards at the elbow to give them a wing-like appearance.
The ancient kingdoms of Anatolia occupied most of what is now modern Turkey. An area referred to as the ‘ancient Near East’, it is considered one of the cradles of civilisation. It was here that intensive agriculture was first practised and this led to the rise of dense urban settlements, the development of centralised government, and organised religion and warfare. It also saw the creation of the first currency anywhere in the world, and codes of law. Early advances were made that laid the foundations of astronomy and mathematics and the invention of the wheel.

Provenance:
Private UK collection, acquired 1970s to 1990s
Ex Rupert Wace Ancient Art Ltd, 2017
Ex Private collection

For a similar complete example see Jurgen Thimme, ‘Kunst und Kultur der Kykladeninseln im 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr.’, Karlsruhe, 1976, no. 563, ill. p. 403, and Oscar White Muscarella (Ed.), ‘Ancient Art: The Norbert Schimmel Collection’, exhibition catalogue, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Mainz, 1974, no. 8.