Greek Neolithic pottery head from Thessaly

G24

£600.00

Available

A head from a pottery votive figure or idol, the face formed into a pinched triangle with incised slit features.

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
6.1 x 2.4 cms, 11.2 cms including stand

Condition
Fragment as shown, surface partially blackened due to fire exposure. Mounted on perspex display block

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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