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Lot 179

A group of seventeen Anatolian marble 'stargazer' heads
17

3 July 2019, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

£6,000 - £8,000

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A group of seventeen Anatolian marble 'stargazer' heads
Chalcolithic Period, circa 3200-2500 B.C.
Of the Kylia type, each stylised head broad in shape, tilted-back and upward-facing, set on thin necks, 2.3-5.5cm high (17)

Footnotes

Provenance:
Ernst Schmidt collection, Zurich, acquired in the 1970s.
with Frank Sternberg AG, 1992.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 14 April 2011, lot 316.
Private collection, UK, acquired at the above sale.

The Kylia type derives its name from a site near Gallipoli, on the Dardanelles, where they were originally found. Typically the heads were atop stylised bodies with incised details, yet few complete idols survive and most have been broken across the neck, suggesting the sculptures were ritually 'killed' at the time of burial.

Additional information

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