Old Babylonian Clay Plaque of Fertility Goddess

$1,137.34

A finely modelled Old Babylonian off-white clay figurine depicting a naked fertility goddess with clasped hands. She is portrayed in an iconic Old Babylonian style, featuring realistic facial features and a plump body that accentuates a sensual appeal. She appears gently gazing forward, holding her clasped hands in front of her chest. A long mantle, with rich folds, drapes over her shoulders and covers her back. The reverse side is uncorked. This piece comes with a custom-made stand.

Date: Circa 626-539 BC
Provenance: Ex S.M. Collection, London, Mayfair, acquired 1970s-90s.
Condition: Fine condition, small chips to the edge, signs of light earthy encrustation remain visible to the surface.

In stock

There is a rich corpus of terracotta figures with a strong association with the goddess Astarte, whose names was altered to Ishtar within Assyro-Babylonian religion. Astarte (Phoenician), Ishtar (Akkadian) or Inanna (Sumerian) was the most important female deity in Mesopotamia throughout the second millennium BC. She was identified with the planet Venus and with the sunrise, and was recognised as the goddess of both sexual love and warfare. The Greeks identified her with Aphrodite. She is commonly depicted naked sometimes with the presence of lions or with wings and a headdress consisting of a solar disc and crescent moon.

Weight 111.8 g
Dimensions W 4.8 x H 13.9 cm
Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region

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