Loading, please wait...
Details
LOT 1610
Stone Age Polished Kneeling Goddess Idol
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 6TH-4TH MILLENNIUM B.C. OR LATER
4 in. (329 grams total, 99 mm including stand).
A carved and polished figurine with rounded head and broad shoulders, folded arms resting on each side of the protruding belly, legs folded beneath the body; mounted on a custom-made stand. [No Reserve]
Provenance
From 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.
Literature
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 the view of 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.
Footnotes
Most 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.
CONDITIONVETTING:
TimeLine 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.
RELATED LOTS
-
Stone Age English Flint Mesolithic Adze
Mesolithic Period, circa 10,000-8,000 B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £98
Grey flint, lentoid in section with some cortex remaining; old collector's label 'ASH / 15.9.20'. 103 grams, 91 mm
Found Ash in Dorset, England, on 15 September 2020. From the collection of B.M., an amateur archaeologist who built up a large self-found collection during the 2000s to 2020. Acquired on the UK art market. From the private collection of an East Anglian, UK, collector. -
Stone Age Blade and Scraper Tool Group
Mesolithic Period, circa 12,000-9,000 years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £20
Comprising three microlith scrapers and worked block, with inked inscription 'Near Culverwell / Portland Bill, 1970's' (3) and 'Nr Culver Well'; old collector's ticket. 80 grams total, 26-55 mm
Found near Culver Well, Portland Bill, Dorset, UK, 1970s. Ex old English collection. From a Leicestershire, UK, collection. -
Stone Age St. Meme Grey Flint Unifacial Handaxe
Middle Palaeolithic Period, 250,000-60,000 B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £33
Lentoid in section with rounded cutting edge. 269 grams, 13.3 cm
Found St Meme les Carrieres, France. Ex Victor Brox collection, UK, formed during the 1980s-1990s. From the collection of a South West London, UK, specialist Stone Age collector.
