Female figure from Elam
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Object number
AR2203
| Object: |
Female figure from Elam
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| Material: |
Clay.
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| Period: |
1500 BC to 1100 BC. Middle Elamite period. |
| Description: |
Mold-made female figure with a patterned headdress. She is adorned with a necklace, two bracelets on each wrist and one big bracelet on each anklet. She holds her breasts in her hands, her enlarged pubic triangle is made up of rows of curls. Her flat but fleshy body and distended legs are characteristic of nude female figures of this period. The figure confronts the gaze of the viewer with her wide, rimmed eyes. Such nude female images are often interpreted as fertility figures in the tradition of Old Stone Age idols like the famous Venus of Willendorf. However, they could also be interpreted as erotic images. Consider the exaggerated sexual characteristics, provocative gestures, and richly adorned bodies. There are two well-provenanced parallels for the figure shown here (see museum references below). Both can be attributed to the Elamite culture and were found in Iran, one specifically in Susa. Also for this figure Susa is mentioned on the invoice from c. 1976. This might be the find spot that was handed down, but could also express the similarity with figures found there. On the art market such figures are rare and can be found with various attributions, e.g. Babylonian or Luristanian, which might indeed be possible. Slightly different styles were produced in other regions, e.g. the female figure from Cyprus seen in V. Müller, Frühe Plastik in Griechenland und Vorderasien, plate XLVI, no. 434. |
| Background: |
The Elamite culture was centered in the southwest of modern-day Iran. The nature of the political cohesion between the cultural centers within the region is not entirely clear. Local archaeological finds ranging from the 4th to 1st Millenium BC are called elamite and display more or less cultural continuity. There are also literary sources, such as references to Elam in the Old Testament and on numerous cuneiform tablets. But it proves difficult to relate the archaeological record to the picture drawn by written accounts. Elam still holds many secrets.
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| Dimensions: |
150mm high (without stand), 68mm wide.
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| Condition: |
Outstanding condition. Much detail on the surface preserved. Only minor chips, however broken in the middle an reattached in modern times.
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| Provenance: |
Acquired by us in 2017 from the private posession of M. Voos, Germany. Inherited by M. Voos from the German private collection H. Herbst. Acquired approx. in 1976 at Davies Antiques, London for the Herbst collection and brought to Germany (a copy of the original invoice is available). The description on the invoice mentions the elamite city of Susa, which might be the find spot.
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| References: |
Cf. Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession no. 51.7.1. Cf. British Museum, accession no. 1853,1219.24. |
| Literature: |
D. T. Potts, The Archaeology of Elam, formation and transformation of an ancient Iranian state, Cambridge (1999).
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| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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