Cypriot Terracotta Fragment of a Figurine

£ 36.00

A Cypriot terracotta fragment of a votive figurine. The figure is depicted with its arms raised and is wearing a headdress, which is crossed at the back of its head, just above its ears. The figure’s stylised face is oval and an applied piece of clay with a horizontal indentation across the centre forms a prominent nose and mouth. The left ear has been made from an applied pinch of clay. Some red and black pigments remain on the surface, suggesting that it may have been further decorated.

Date: Circa 7th-5th Century BC
Provenance: From a collection acquired on the UK art market before 2000s. From an important Cambridgeshire estate, thence by descent.
Condition: Fragment in good condition, encrustation to the surface. Slight surface abrasion consistent with age. The right ear and arm are now missing along with the left lower arm.

SOLD

SKU: CF-49 Category: Tag:

By the Cypro-Archaic period (750-475 BC), Cyprus had been divided into a series of city-kingdoms. Around 700 BC, Cyprus came under the rule of the Assyrian king Sargon II, and it remained under Assyrian rule until the collapse of the empire. Vase-paintings developed significantly during this time, and statues deposited in large numbers in tombs. Statuettes of this type, with their arms outstretched, may represent worshippers and deities, deriving from Cretan Phi figures, which represented goddesses. They were first made in the 11th century in Cyprus, and likely represented a local goddess. By the Archaic Period, figures of this type became mass produced as votive offerings, often wearing headdresses or hats. They stood in for the donor at the shrine. They have typically been discovered in open air shrines near altars, or in bothroi (sacred pits for offerings).

Weight 49.7 g
Dimensions W 5.7 x H 7.1 cm
Culture

Region

Pottery and Porcelain

Reference: For a similar item, RD Milns Antiquities Museum, item 70.009

You may also like…