Alabaster Zoomorphic Sculpture, 3000 BCE - 2000 BCE
Alabaster
8.3 x 13 cm
3 1/4 x 5 1/8 in
3 1/4 x 5 1/8 in
LO.858
This is an outstanding artwork dating back to the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age was a time of enormous change, of transitions towards a complex and organised society. Perhaps most...
This is an outstanding artwork dating back to the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age was a time of enormous change, of transitions towards a complex and organised society.
Perhaps most dramatic, for our purposes, were the magico-religious transformations, that gave rise to worships connected to the production of human and animal figures in sculpture.
The reasons behind the choice to the features of this animal in such a peculiar fashion are far from clear, but it seems that artists during the Bronze Age were not particularly concerned about the naturalistic fidelity of their representation, but rather privileged the magic-ritual meaning and import of the artefacts they realised.
This is an exceptional piece of art, bearing witness to the most enigmatic and fascinating times at the dawn of civilisation, and befitting the most discerning collectors.
Perhaps most dramatic, for our purposes, were the magico-religious transformations, that gave rise to worships connected to the production of human and animal figures in sculpture.
The reasons behind the choice to the features of this animal in such a peculiar fashion are far from clear, but it seems that artists during the Bronze Age were not particularly concerned about the naturalistic fidelity of their representation, but rather privileged the magic-ritual meaning and import of the artefacts they realised.
This is an exceptional piece of art, bearing witness to the most enigmatic and fascinating times at the dawn of civilisation, and befitting the most discerning collectors.