Page 18 - Highlights of the Collection
P. 18

Woman dressed
                                                                                                                                             in a woollen garment



                                                                                                                                             Central Asia, Bactria, 2300-1700 BCE
                                                                                                                                             H. 25.3 cm, chlorite, calcite







                                                                                                                                             Bactrian idols where the face has been fashioned with
                                                                                                                                             such skill are rare. Frequently deposited in tombs,
                                                                                                                                             these figures ensured that the dead were protected in
                                                                                                                                             the afterlife. Although having lost its calcite arms and
                                                                                                                                             the stone inlays highlighting the eyes, this statuette
                                                                                                                                             is a masterpiece of its kind. Like the other forty
                                                                                                                                             examples known today, it consists of several moving
                                                                                                                                             parts (headdress, head, dress) made of materials with
                                                                                                                                             contrasting colours: green chlorite and white calcite.
                                                                                                                                             As seen in other known statuettes with traces of paint,
                                                                                                                                             the neckline of the robe, most likely concealed under
                                                                                                                                             a large necklace or breastplate, suggests that these
                                                                                                                                             idols were covered with ornaments and enhanced
                                                                                                                                             with colours.
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