Loading, please wait...
LOT 0352
Stone Age Standing Pregnant Mother Goddess Idol
NEOLITHIC PERIOD, CIRCA 6TH-4TH MILLENNIUM B.C. OR LATER
6 in. (550 grams total, 15 cm including stand).
Modelled in the round as a figure with rudimentary head and limbs, emphasised belly and breasts supported on bent arms; 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.12333-224213.
Cf. Morris, D., The Art of Ancient Cyprus, Oxford, 1985, figs.107-108, p.119, for similar idols; also see Caldwell, Duncan, ‘The Use of Animals in Birth Protection Rituals and Possible Uses of Stone Figurines from the Central Sahel’ in African Arts, UCLA, 2015 Winter issue, vol.48, no.4, Nov., pp.14-25, figs.5, letter Q.
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.
-
Stone Age Polished Axehead
Neolithic Period, circa 4th-3rd millennium B.C.Sold for (Inc. bp): £26
Squat in profile with curved cutting edge, rounded butt; chipped. 197 grams, 96 mm
Possibly Scottish. Acquired from Oxford, UK. From the private collection of Kenneth Machin (1936-2020), Buckinghamshire, UK; with collection no.N165; his collection of antiquities and natural history was formed since 1948; thence by descent. -
Stone Age Large Flint Blade and Burin Group
Upper Palaeolithic Period, circa 28,000-22,000 years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £91
Each with inked findspot: 'Gravière Saint-Onger / Bergerac / JRV', 'Vallée de la Cou[..] / 14.3.68', 'Rabier / près Lac[.]queres' (and feint pencilled 'Rabier' below). 99 grams total, 7-11.7 cm
Found Graviere, Lanquais and De LaCoulc, France, in the 1960s. Acquired in the 1970s-1990s. From the collection of famous UK musician and amateur archaeologist, Victor Brox (1941-2023). -
Large Stone Age Knapped Black Stone Axehead
Lower Palaeolithic Period, circa 400,000-200,000 B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £65
With broad cutting edge, lozenge-shaped in section; repaired. 668 grams, 20 cm
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.
