Three Syrian terracotta idols circa 2nd Millenium B.C. © christies.com
One with long cylindrical body, hands held up to chest, the bird-like face with applied disc eyes; one with flat body, arms outstretched, with dotted lines around waist and on necklace, and incised lines on high headdress; and one with flat outstretched arms, headdress and pierced ears
5½ in. (14 cm.) high max. (3).
Other figurines like these are said to be bird-like.
Terracotta figurine recovered from a site at Charsadda Shaikhan Dheri, Gandhara, Pakistan. Made circa 2nd century BCE. Museum number: IS.20A-195. © Victoria and Albert Museum. Location: Ceramics Study Galleries, Asia & Europe, room 137, case R, shelf 3.
Bird-Headed Figure Whistle, 8th–9th century Mexico, Veracruz Ceramic. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Female figurine with movable legs. Handmade. Bell-shaped body with modeled breasts, tall neck ending in a bird-like face. From Thebes. Early 7th c. BC. © National Archaeological Museum of Greece.
Terracotta statuette of woman with bird face. OASC The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Date: ca. 1450–1200 B.C. Culture: Cypriot. On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 173. This figurine is typical of Cypriot coroplastic art of the Late Cypriot II and III periods. The type, with the pubic triangle accentuated and the breasts clearly shown, is likely of Syrian origin, but Cypriot sculptors created their own variations. Handmade and hollow, it has a shaved surface. Her eyes are pellets surrounded by rings. In each large flat ear are two perforations, each containing an earring; the lower ones have overlapping terminals. The infant stretches out its arms and has depressed circles for its eyes.
Early–Middle Bronze Age Figurine from Syria. © The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Provenance: Formerly collection of the Comtesse de Fontmarin; acquired by the Museum in 1955, purchased from Mrs. Jacques Lindon, New York.
Period:
Early–Middle Bronze Age
Date:
ca. 2200–1750 B.C.
Geography:
Syria
Medium:
Ceramic
Dimensions:
3.75 x 2.06 in. (9.53 x 5.23 cm)
Classification:
Ceramics-Sculpture
Credit Line:
Rogers Fund, 1955
Accession Number:
55.188
