Neolithic Period, circa 6th-4th millennium B.C. With rounded profile, stub arms and head without facial detailing, vestigial legs; accompanied by a custom-made display stand. Cf. Morris, D., The Art of Ancient Cyprus, Oxford, 1985, figs.114-115 pp.120-121, for similar idols. 635 grams, 15 cm (686 grams total, 16.5 cm including stand) (5 7/8 in. (6 1/2 in.)).

From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12087-217184.

Most scholars consider these as symbols of the cult of fertility and evidence of the existence of a matriarchal society as a form of organisation of the earliest human society. The people of the Stone Age may have considered figures such as this to represent women and mothers with their life-giving powers, or as depictions of the ancestors. [No Reserve] [A video of this lot is available to view on Timeline Auctions Website]