Cycladic
A Cycladic marble fragment of a pair of legs, Early Cycladic II, 2700-2300 BC
Marble
Height: 9.9 cm
Further images
Originally from a full female figure, the legs are broken just below the knees, with downward pointed feet and incised toes.
Originally from a full female figure, the legs are broken just below the knees, with downward pointed feet and incised toes.
Provenance
With Nicolas Koutoulakis (1910-1996), Paris and Geneva; thence by descentLiterature
This fragment would have originally belonged to a larger, full sculpture representing a female figure. Cycladic islanders of the third millennium BCE made such sculptures in great numbers, and followed a well-defined stylistic model. Elements of that model include the stark simplicity and clean lines of the sculptures, as well as the stance of the figure: with the feet pointing downwards, indicating that the woman is not depicted in a standing position, but rather reclining. Although the exact function of these figures is unknown, it is probable that they served as religious idols prior to their entombment.There is evidence to suggest that many of Cycladic marble sculptures may have been broken deliberately, and might even have been made with the expectation in mind that they would eventually be broken. Recent excavations on the island of Keros have discovered similarly broken fragments, it is thought this would have been carried out within a ritual context. For a similar fragment see The Sainsbury Centre, Norfolk, accession no. 410.
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