EARLY SPEDOS VARIETY, CIRCA 2600-2500 B.C.

The marble idols from Bronze Age Cycladic islands encompass some of the most iconic sculptural types to have survived from antiquity. It is not clear what the original function of these stylized figures was, but it is probable that they had a votive as well as a ritualistic role. Often found in burial contexts, they may have played a part in accompanying the deceased on their journey from one world to the next. The care taken during the manufacturing of these pieces, especially given the primitive tools and hardness of material, show that they were highly valued and cherished. The folded-arm female type, such as the present lot, would have had additional features added in bright pigments of black, red and blue. For a similar figure attributed to the Fitzwilliam Sculptor, cf. Inv. no. 1962.10 in the Medelhavsmuseet, Stockholm.