Greek Neolithic pottery head from Thessaly

G31

£320.00

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A head from a pottery votive figure or idol, the mask-like face formed with pinched pellet features applied onto a cylindrical neck.

During the Neolithic and Chalcolithic period the region of Thessaly in Central Greece developed a unique and distinctive artistic style, producing an array of human figures for votive purposes. These figures have not been studied as thoroughly as Cycladic or Minoan cultures but are no less striking and varied.

Culture
Greek, Thessaly, Neolithic period, c. 6500-5300 BC

Size
4.6 x 1.4 cms

Condition
Fragment as shown, surface discolouration due to exposure in a house fire

Provenance
Ex. deceased estate, Cambridgeshire, UK; collection formed mostly pre-2000 from auctions and fairs within the UK.

For further reading on the subject and numerous illustrations of similar fragments we recommend visting the following links where two excellent online books are available for free:
https://www.aegeussociety.org/en/new_book/figurines-of-neolithic-thessaly-a-presentation-volume-ii-online-publication/
https://www.aegeussociety.org/en/new_book/figurines-of-neolithic-thessaly-a-presentation-volume-iii-the-a-bastis-collection-online-publication/

For an illustration of similar heads in the National Museum Athens, please see:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ancient_Greece_Neolithic_Clay_Figurines_from_Thessaly,_6500-5300_BC_-_28348962912.jpg

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