Woman. Western Iran, 1350-800 B.C. Sculpture, Ceramic. Height: 14 3/4 in. (90.81 cm)
Gift of Alice A. Heeramaneck (M.75.62.5). PD by Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
Compare to these:
Africa | Elephant Mask from the Bamiléké people of Cameroon | Postcard; publisher Hoa-Qui n° 3720 BT3. Via delcampe.net.
Bearded man. Southern Egypt, Gebelein. Ca. 3800-3500 BCE. Medium: Black shale. Current location: Musée des Confluences.
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.
Several types of plank or slab figures were made during the Early and Middle Bronze Age. The representation of the human figure ranges from those with one neck and abstract linear designs to figures with bodies that are rectangular with anatomical features carved in low relief. The meaning of these idols is speculative but may refer to ritual magic connected with the owner’s desire for multiple births and fertility.
