Violin-Shaped Anatolian Idol with a Side Tuft
Violin-Shaped Anatolian Idol with a Side Tuft
This statuette, whose accurate outline is clearly marked, is almost flat although slightly rounded. No element enables us to distinguish one side from the other, or to determine the gender of the figurine.
3rd millenium B.C.
H : 8.7 cm
In stock
Product Description
This statuette, whose accurate outline is clearly marked, is almost flat although slightly rounded. No element enables us to distinguish one side from the other, or to determine the gender of the figurine. The body is tripartite, with a small, somewhat circular head provided with an incised side tuft; the long, narrow neck is delineated by two V-shaped lines; the arms are indicated by two small pointed stumps that surmount the rounded body.
The tradition of schematic statuettes is still attested during the Early Bronze Age (3rd millennium B.C.) in western Anatolia. The different types are often named after their place of excavation: the Beycesultan type (first half of the 3rd millennium) and the Kusura type (a bit later probably) are therefore among the most widely known groups. The first group includes figurines characterized by an extremely flat silhouette and by the rounded outline of their bodies; two small pointed stumps indicate the arms, while a long stalk represents the neck. The Kusura variant possesses a tripartite structure: a disk-shaped head, a trapezoidal neck and a shield-like bust, which is sometimes provided with the rough shape of arms.
There are also several statuettes of the intermediate type (violin-shaped body, trapezoidal neck, round head) that archaeologists name the Beycesultan-Kusura variant: these statuettes are often equipped with a point carved on the side of the head and adorned with oblique incisions, perhaps indicating a lock of hair. Our figurine belongs to this third type: despite its small size, it is outstanding for its artistic qualities and its harmonious, slender proportions.
