Central Asia, modern day Pakistan / Afghanistan, Bactria, late 2nd to early 1st millennium BCE. A fine stone idol or ritual object hand-carved in a columnar form. This intriguing object features a lengthy, cylindrical body with a thick midsection that narrows at each end to a flared, circular base and top. Boasting a lovely hue of light grey accented with tan-colored earthen deposits, stone idols like this one are known in a variety of forms; however, their true meaning is unknown because there are no surviving written records that explicate how they were used. Were they used as objects of worship, commerce, torture, or everyday use? Whatever the case, this is a wonderful example from early Bactria! Size: 2.75" in diameter x 23.75" H (7 cm x 60.3 cm)

Ancient idols like this one, that reduce natural forms to a simple collection of shapes and lines, are considered some of our oldest abstract art. They fascinate us today in part because they hint at a belief system and cosmology that we can no longer access or understand. Instead, we guess at the meaning. Are they fertility charms? Representations of old gods? Were they made to be carried as apotropaic charms, or simply to be placed in tombs? Their mute sculptures raise more questions than they answer.

Provenance: ex-Phoenicia Holyland Antiquities, New York City, New York, USA, acquired 1970s to 2000s

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#162816

Recessed circle on one end, possibly from construction. Expected nicks and chips to rims and body, as well as scratches and abrasions, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, very nice with rich earthen deposits throughout.