Western Europe, modern day Spain and Portugal, Iberian Late Bronze Age (Celtic), ca. 1300 to 600 CE. A fascinating sculpture, cast from bronze and depicting a male and a female standing in the same manner, each with one arm around the other's shoulder and the other hand resting on his or her hip. The heads are stylized and triangular, both with a crest-like projection from the forehead. The bodies are very similar in shape aside from breasts on the female and exposed genitalia on both. They stand with their knees slightly bent, their feet attached to an integrated flat panel. Size: 1.4" W x 2.45" H (3.6 cm x 6.2 cm); 2.7" H (6.9 cm) on included custom stand.

The size and form of this sculpture suggests that it was made to be a votive or offering piece, perhaps one that was kept in a domestic altar or placed into a grave. Bronze Age Iberia was pre-literate, and the region and its people would not be described in written accounts until the Romans centuries later. As a result, we must guess at the meaning of this enigmatic piece. The symbolism of male and female standing together, side-by-side and in a seemingly equal position, echoes through the ages. Elite Iberians - both male and female - were given elaborate burials full of high value items like gold jewelry, including torqs, which researchers believe were visible status insignia, indicating that women could ascend to positions of power in Bronze Age Iberia. The two figures together here may be a plea for fertility, but their positions emphasize the strengths of both.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection

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#127674

Figure is intact, with a smooth, grey-green patina and nice remaining detail. Light encrustation in the lower profile areas.