NAQADA II, CIRCA 3600-3300 B.C.

Details

AN EGYPTIAN PREDYNASTIC WHITE-PAINTED TERRACOTTA FEMALE FIGURINE
NAQADA II, CIRCA 3600-3300 B.C.
The aniconic figure with breasts and protruding buttocks
9½ in. (24 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired in Egypt between 1956-1958.
Sold to benefit The Hans Goedicke Foundation for Egyptology.

Special notice

VAT rate of 5% is payable on hammer price and at 15% on the buyer's premium Please note that the lots of Iranian origin are subject to U.S. trade restrictions which currently prohibit the import into the United States. Similar restrictions may apply in other countries.

Lot Essay

This rare statue belongs to a group of female figures with bird-like heads. Generally found in burials, it is assumed they were eternal concubines for the deceased. However, they have been interpreted variously as fertility charms, images of deities, ritual dancers or mourners.
Cf. a bird-headed female figurine in the Brooklyn Museum, from El Ma'mariya, in R. Fazzini et al., Ancient Egyptian Art in the Brooklyn Museum, New York, 1989, cat. no. 1; W. Needler, Predynastic and Archaic Egypt in the Brooklyn Museum, New York, 1984, nos. 267-273; and P. J. Ucko, Anthropomorphic Figurines of Predynastic Egypt, London, 1968, nos. 71-72.

More from Antiquities

View All