LOT 0207

Middle Elamite Copper Figure of a Worshipper

CIRCA 1500–1100 B.C.

3 3/8 in. (106 grams total, 87 mm including stand).

Figure of a worshipper with the hands raised at the waist and standing barefoot on a rectangular plinth, wearing a dress without any visible seams, the embroidery and pattern of the fabric represented by a concentric chevron design; stylised facial features and large almond-shaped eyes, thick twisted roll of fabric holding the hair with a small knot at the top; set on a custom-made stand.

with Mr Modjallal Iradj, France.
Acquired by a London, UK gallery, 18 March 1977.
Private collection, UK.

This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.13370-257696.

Cf. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, object no.51.159, for a similar female worshipper figure; see also the Louvre Museum, Paris, object no.Sb 2758, for a male worshipper figure in gold and copper, and no.Sb 2759, for a similar male worshipper in silver and copper in Harper, P., Aruz, J., Tallon, F., The Royal City of Susa. Ancient Near Eastern Treasures in the Louvre, New York, 1992, pp.146-148.

The Elamite culture was an important civilisation in the ancient Near East that lasted for many centuries, from the 3rd millennium to the 6th century BC. They developed their own style of art, metalwork, and seal designs, as well as their own form of cuneiform writing. Although the Elamites were eventually absorbed into later empires, many aspects of their culture continued to influence the ancient world around them. Objects of this type are understood to be ritual or votive gifts.