**Originally Listed At $350**

Ancient Central Asia, Indus Valley, Mehrgarh period, ca. 3500 to 2800 BCE. A characteristically abstract Indus Valley female figure, perhaps a fertility goddess, presented in a seated pose with delineated legs and ample hips. Her slender waist traces up to ample breasts held aloft beneath bent arms, and rounded shoulders flank the sides of an intricate set of necklaces. Her highly-stylized bird-style face has a tab-shaped aquiline nose, impressed circular eyes, and no mouth, all beneath an elaborate veil replete with raised bulbs and impressed minute stippling. Bird-faced figurines like this example are found throughout the region, although their meaning is unclear, most female figures found by largely male archaeologists of the late 19th and early 20th century CE were immediately given the title of "fertility idol," but more recent interpretations suggest that these figures probably had much more nuanced and varied symbolism. Custom museum-quality display stand included. Size: 1" W x 2.7" H (2.5 cm x 6.9 cm); 3.4" H (8.6 cm) on included custom stand.

Provenance: private East Coast, USA collection; ex-John Krysko collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1980s

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#143516

Both legs and lower waist restored with new material. Minor abrasions to upper body and head, with light softening to some finer details. Light earthen deposits throughout.