LATE BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 1400-1200 B.C.

Details

A CANAANITE BRONZE DEITY
LATE BRONZE AGE, CIRCA 1400-1200 B.C.
Depicted seated and wearing a long tasselled robe with triple-ribbed belt, large pendant necklace and loop earrings, crowned with a tall conical headdress, the arms bent at the elbow and held up in front, the feet resting on a stool
5 ¾ in. (14.6 cm.) high

Provenance

Private collection, acquired by 1980.
with Antiquarium Ltd, New York (The Good Life; Luxury Objects of the Ancient World, New York, 1999, p. 6).
Formerly private collection, USA.

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU for sale using a Temporary Import regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the Hammer price. VAT is also payable (at 20%) on the buyer’s Premium on a VAT inclusive basis. When a buyer of such a lot has registered an EU address but wishes to export the lot or complete the import into another EU country, he must advise Christie's immediately after the auction.

Brought to you by

Georgiana Aitken

gaitken@christies.com +44 (0)20 7752 3002

Lot Essay

Bronze figures such as this were often found in public sanctuaries, probably serving a cultic role. The figure's benign attitude as well as the crowned head suggest an association with the divine rather than a representation of a mere worshipper. For similar enthroned figures cf. O. Negbi, Canaanite Gods in Metal, Tel Aviv, 1976, pp. 46-51, and O. White Muscarella, Bronze and Iron: Ancient Near Eastern Artefacts in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1988, pp. 363-364, nos 490-1 (acc. nos 32.18.30 and 32.161.45).

More from Antiquities

View All