SYRIA, EARLY DYNASTIC III, CIRCA 2550-2250 B.C.

Details

A MESOPOTAMIAN GYPSUM MALE HEAD OF A WORSHIPPER
SYRIA, EARLY DYNASTIC III, CIRCA 2550-2250 B.C.
Finely sculpted with a bald pate, with two raised horizontal folds of flesh at the back of the head, the eyes deeply hollowed for inlays, the lids modelled, the single double-arching brow also recessed for inlay, the rounded prominent nose with hollowed nostrils, the lips pressed together, divided by a thin groove that rises slightly at each end, the full beard composed of thick wavy strands enhanced by incised lines along their lengths, with three shorter strands before each ear that curl back at their tips
6 5/8 in. (16.8 cm.) high

Provenance

Private Collection, Tehran.
Private Collection, Germany, acquired in 1975.
with Kunst-und Auktionshaus Peretz, Saarbrucken, 1985.

Brought to you by

G. Max Bernheimer

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Lot Essay

Related worshipper figures, some bearded like the present example, were found in the temples at Mari. The figures stand with their hands clasped at the chest and wear long tufted skirts. Many are identified by inscriptions. For similar examples see pl. 38 and fig. 288-289 in Amiet, Art of the Ancient Near East.

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