 | Apolonia Ancient Art |
|
Home |
|
Greek Bronze Figurine Votive Model, Minoan/Mycenaean browse these categories for related items... All Items: Antiques:Regional Art:Ancient World:Greek:Bronze: Pre AD 1000: item # 987732
Apolonia Ancient Art 290 Fillmore St. #D Denver, CO. 80206 303-321-7351 gallery Guest Book $3,675.00 |
|
||||||||||||||
| This extremely rare piece is a model that consists of five bronze figurines. These figurines are votive in nature, and are likely attributed to the Minoan/Mycenaean culture, and date circa LH III, 1400-1100 B.C. The five figurines are approximately 3.5, 3.4, 3.35, 2.0, and 1.75 inches high. The figurines all have a nice light to dark green patina, and there are spotty light brown deposits which are more prevalent on the inside surfaces of the figurines. The figurines are intact, save for the figurine that is approximately 2.0 inches high, which has a missing arm and a crack in the torso. In addition, the largest figurine which is approximately 3.5 inches high, was broken in half and was subsequently repaired with the break being visable. This break in the largest figurine may have been intentional as well, and could have been ceremoniously broken when these figurines were offered as a votive offering. These extremely rare figurines may have been a grave offering, and/or could have been an offering that depicted significant rituals that were associated with rites of passage that involved the dead. This theory was developed by Daniela Lefevre-Novaro, and her theory was supported by the figural terracotta models that were found in the Minoan Kamilari burial complex in Kamilari, Crete. These figural models can now be seen in the Herakleion Archaeological Museum, and date circa LM 1A, 1600-1500 B.C. (See "Coming of Age in Ancient Greece" by Jenifer Neils and John Oakley, Yale University Press, 2003, pp. 40-43. See the attached photo of one of these models.) The five extremely rare bronze figurines offered here are likely three adults and two children, and may represent a family. The arms of all of the figures are seen extended up into the air, and this is an ancient Greek sign of mourning a death, which is often depicted on art from the Greek Late Bronze Age, circa 13th century B.C., and it is therefore logical to assume that the family of figurines seen here may all be mourning a family member. (For two examples of art from the Greek Late Bronze Age that depict images of individuals with raised arms in mourning, see the two larnakes from Tanagra, Greece, which are terracotta chests used as coffins. These pieces can be seen in the Thebes Archaeological Museum, and date circa LH IIIB, 1300-1200 B.C. See attached photos.) The raised arms may also depict and/or represent bull's horns, and these extremely rare pieces may also have served as another type of sacred offering as well, and the exact symbolic representation of these pieces is unknown. What is known, is that these votive pieces represent a culture that made many grave offerings that were grouped together in shrines that were, in many cases, found outside of graves or nearby. The largest bronze figurines have incised line design just above their flared bases, and on the upper torso. This linear artistic incised line design is also seen on many examples of early Greek art from the Late Bronze Age, circa 1300 B.C., down to the Geometric Period, circa 750 B.C. These figurines are also hollow, and have a round hole that is seen where the neck/head may have been attached to the upper torso. The neck/head could have been made from wood, or some other perishable material, and was attached into these holes with a dowel. The majority of these early Greek models are made from terracotta, rather than bronze, and this is another reason why these exceptional figurines are extremely rare. A custom wooden and plexiglas stand is included, and the figurines have a wooden dowel that holds them in place on the stand. These figurines can also be easily removed, as they simply lift off of the stand. Ex: Private German collection. (Additional documentation is available to the purchaser.) I certify that these pieces are authentic as to date, culture, and condition: | |||||||||||||||
|
