This Cycladic figurine is a female figure with an elongated slender form with folded arms. This marble sculpture is a fabulous creation of the Cycladic Culture and was probably associated with ancient Aegean religious beliefs. The marble figure has a flat profile with broad shoulders, the breasts are in relatively higher relief, and the abdomen is slightly protuberant. The legs are more rounded and separated by a deep groove. The head is of the usual Cycladic type, bent back and thin, with a long narrow nose. This figurine is slightly damaged with the feet broken away, and the head has been reconnected.
The Cycladic culture flourished in the islands of the Aegean Sea from c. 3300 to 1100 BCE and together with the Minoan and Mycenaean was among the three primary Aegean civilizations. The Spedos type of sculpture figurines is named after an Early Cycladic cemetery on the island of Naxos. This type has the most extensive distribution within the Cyclades and the Aegean area. The figurines range in height from miniature figures of 8 cm to monumental sculptures of 1.5 m. They are characterized by U-shaped heads and a deeply incised cleft between the legs.
Reflections on the Cycladic Marble figure of a Woman
- How does this creative effort compare to modern Cubism art?
- As highly stylized representations of the female human form, how does it compare to today’s modern art?
- Why were these Cycladic figures popular for thousands of years in the ancient Aegean?
- Is there something enduring about the simplicity of this art?
- Why were these figures so popular for thousands of years in Europe’s first civilizations?
Marble figure of a Woman – Spedos Type
- Title: Marble figure of a Woman – Spedos Type
- Date: 2500BC-2300BC
- Culture: Keros-Syros Culture
- Place: Cyclades, Greece
- Materials: Marble
- Dimensions: H: 33.2 cm
- Acquisition: 1863
- Museum: The British Museum
A Tour of the British Museum
Ancient Egypt and Sudan Collection
- The Rosetta Stone
- The Battlefield Palette 3100 BC
- Quartzite Head of the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III
- Colossal Granite Statue of Amenhotep III
- Hunters Palette
- Tomb of Nebamun
- Younger Memnon (Ramesses II)
Middle East Collection
- The Lion Hunt
- Cyrus Cylinder
- Royal Game of Ur
- Gilgamesh Flood Tablet
- Stela of Shamshi-Adad V
- Standard of Ur
- Ram in a Thicket
- Tell al-‘Ubaid Copper Lintel
Ancient Greece and Rome Collection
- Marble figure of a Woman – Spedos Type
- The Parthenon Marbles
- The Parthenon Frieze
- Metopes of the Parthenon
- Pedimental Sculptures of the Parthenon
- The Erechtheion Caryatid
- Lion from the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- Bust of Pericles
- Aegina Treasure
- Townley Caryatid
- Bronze Statue of a Youth
- Thalia, Muse of Comedy
- Nereid Monument
- Sarcophagus of Seianti Hanunia Tlesnasa
- Lely Venus – Crouching Aphrodite
- Tomb of Payava
- Marble Portrait Bust of the Blind Poet Homer
Britain, Europe, and Prehistory Collection
- Ain Sakhri Lovers
- The Sutton Hoo Ship Burial
- Lewis Chessmen
- Holy Thorn Reliquary
- Mechanical Galleon
- Black St George Icon
- Knight Aquamanile
- Gold Mold Cape
Asian Collection
- Seated Buddha from Gandhara
- Statue of Tara
- Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara
- Avalokiteshvara – Guanyin
- Nandi – Figure of the Humped Bull of Śiva
- Garuda
- Budai Hesheng
- Luohan – Yixian Glazed Ceramic Sculpture
Africa, Oceania and the Americas Collection
- Double-Headed Serpent
- Hoa Hakananai’a / Moai from Easter Island
- Hawaiian Feathered Helmet
- Bronze Head from Ife
- Benin Ivory Mask
The Prints and Drawings Collection
- “Studies of a Reclining Male Nude” by Michelangelo
- Newport Castle by J. M. W. Turner
- “Hampstead Heath” by John Constable
- “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Katsushika Hokusai
- “Rainstorm Beneath the Summit” by Katsushika Hokusai
Information on The British Museum
- Masterpieces of the British Museum
~~~
“Too many opinions sink the boat.”
– Greek Proverb
~~~
Photo Credit: 1)JOM; Content: Content from Wikipedia articles on the above subjects is licensed under CC-BY-SA
Popular this Week
Sponsor your Favorite Page SEARCH Search for: Search Follow UsJoin – The JOM Membership Program
Sponsor a Masterpiece with YOUR NAME CHOICE for $5
Share this:
- Tweet
