A SOUTH ARABIAN STONE FIGURE

BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.

Details

A SOUTH ARABIAN STONE FIGURE
BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 3RD-2ND MILLENNIUM B.C.
The abstract figure standing with the arms folded across the waist, the shoulders sharply angled, a raised ridge, perhaps a sash or the edge of a garment, falling from the left shoulder, across the torso, around the proper right side and across the back, a raised ridge encircling the hips, perhaps a belt, the stylized genitalia prominent, a groove between the short legs, the toes slightly protruding, the face spade shaped and off-set from the cylindrical head, the nose triangular
11½ in. (29.2 cm.) high

Provenance

European Collection, 1990.

Lot Essay

For three similar examples from the Yemeni Highlands and Mârib, see nos. 88-90 in Simpson, ed., Queen of Sheba, Treasures from Ancient Yemen. Simpson informs that these figures have been "interpreted as idols and may represent protectors of the dead or symbols of fecundity."

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