Ancient Near East, Tel Brak, modern day Syria, Late Uruk Period, ca. 3300 to 3000 BCE. Hand-carved using drills and string cutting from a creamy alabaster, this is one of the most famous artifacts from early Mesopotamia. It has a bell-shaped body surmounted by two perforated circles, forming "eyes." Eye idols were named in the 1930s by the British archaeologist Max Mallowan when he was excavating at the mound called Tel Brak and found hundreds of small anthropomorphic items of similar form to this one - some kind of simplified body topped by large discs for eyes and no other discernible facial features. He named the place where he found them the Temple of the Eyes. Size: 1.125" W x 2.5" H (2.9 cm x 6.4 cm); 2.75" H (7 cm) on included custom stand.

Compare to similar examples in 'Early Mesopotamia and Iran' by M.E.L. Mallowan.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection, ex English collection, acquired from the German Art Market and legally imported with proper export documentation from Germany

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#139422

Intact with stress crack. Good deposits. Fine example.