Loading, please wait...
LOT 0341
Large Stone Age Pregnant Animal Idol
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 6TH-4TH MILLENNIUM B.C. OR LATER
6 1/8 in. (1.66 kg total, 15.5 cm including stand).
Carved in the round with sturdy body, swollen belly and ovoid-section head; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000.
From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12337-224209.
This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Cf. Morris, D., The Art of Ancient Cyprus, Oxford, 1985, figs.108-109, p.119, for similar idols; Various, Idoles, Au commencement etait l’image, A la Reine Margot, 22 Novembre 1990-28 Fevrier 1991, Paris, 1990, figs.10-11, for similar; also see Caldwell, Duncan, The Use of Animals in Birth Protection Rituals and Possible Uses of Stone Figurines from the Central Sahel, 2015 winter issue, vol.48, no.4, Nov., pp.14-25.
FootnotesMost scholars consider these as symbols of the fertility cult and as evidence of the existence of a matriarchal society as a form of organisation of the earliest human society. The people of the Stone Age may have considered figures such as this to represent women and mothers with their life-giving powers, or as depictions of the ancestors.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.
-
Published Stone Age 'Homo Erectus' Handaxe
Lower Palaeolithic Period, circa 450,000-250,000 B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £208
Lentoid in section and piriform in plan with broad cutting edge. 462 grams, 12.9 cm
From North Africa. From the collection of a French museum in the Dordogne which closed some years ago. Acquired on the European art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, specialist collector. Accompanied by a copy of the relevant book pages where this handaxe is published. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Scandinavian Stone Age Polished Stone Thick-Butted Axehead
Neolithic Period, 4000-2300 B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £572
Highly polished with slightly concave sides, square butt, inked collector's note to one side. 510 grams, 21.7 cm
Found Scandinavia 25 May 1943. From the private collection of John Fox, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK, antiquarian and archaeologist; his collection assembled in the 1950s-1970s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato. -
Stone Age Leaf-Shaped and Other Arrowhead Collection
Neolithic Period, circa 6th-4th millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
Comprising mostly bifacial and uniface flint and chert arrowheads; probably from the Sahara region of North Africa. 78 grams total, 20-41 mm
UK gallery, early 2000s. This lot is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Similar specimens of arrowheads have been found in the Eastern Sahara Region of Abu Tartur Plateau. Most of the arrowheads came from the El Jarar Neolithic, c. 7700-7300 B.P. (c.6500-6100 B.C.). Other parallels occur in the region of Kharga Oasis.
