Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12

Prehistoric Stargazer Marble Head

$943.45
£706.19
€800
CA$1,298.45
A$1,447.26
CHF 759.33
MX$17,673.39
NOK 9,614.73
SEK 9,087.39
DKK 6,090.16

About the Item

A small, Prehistoric Anatolian marble head of the kiliya type. Of highly stylized geometric form, the marble head is elliptical, with a faintly defined nose and sylphic ears perceptible. Originally from a standing figure, kiliya idols are often termed ‘stargazers’, on the basis of the backwards tilt of the head, as if looking up to the heavens. This enigmatic artefact is a good example of its type. Though their true purpose is now lost to us, the unnatural form of the kiliya suggests some manner of supernatural representation. Indeed, their lasting popularity indicates that they maintained an important meaning to the inhabitants of Bronze Age Anatolia throughout the centuries. Excavations undertaken in the ancient city of Troy have revealed relatively few stargazer figures preserved in their entirety, but fragments (mostly heads) were far more prevalent. It appears that pieces such as this were being preserved as relics by the inhabitants of the city - remnants of a forgotten past. Reference: For a similar item, The J. Paul Getty Museum, item 88.AA.122.
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 5.52 in (14 cm)Width: 2.37 in (6 cm)Depth: 1.58 in (4 cm)
  • Style:
    Prehistoric (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    3000-2000 BC
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use.
  • Seller Location:
    Vosselaar, BE
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU2023321925902

More From This Seller

View All
Bactrian Marble Column Idol
Located in Vosselaar, BE
Bactrian marble column idol, circa 3000-2000 Bc. It has a elegant tapering form with a undeep groove running on the top and bottom. The marble is a breccia type with striking vains i...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Afghan Archaistic Antiquities

Materials

Marble

Bronze age stone cup
Located in Vosselaar, BE
Ancient Near East, Holyland, Late Bronze Age, Deir Samit, Judea, ca. 1500 to 1250 BCE. A lovely limestone cosmetic dish presenting a hemispherical body with a flattened top and a dep...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Israeli Antiquities

Materials

Sandstone

Abstract primitive head Fragment of a Dogon Sculpture."
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A beautifully patined Dogon fragment of a head sculpture. Because of its natural wear perhaps even being more abstract and natural. As African art inspired the European modernist mov...
Category

Early 20th Century Malian Primitive Tribal Art

Materials

Wood

Bactrian Bronze Age Marble Column Idol
Located in Vosselaar, BE
Bactrian marble column idol, circa 3000-2000 BC. It has an elegant tapering form with a undeep groove running on the top. The colomn has incrustation on the side where it laid on the...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Afghan Archaistic Antiquities

Materials

Marble

16th Century Stone Classical Roman Style Torso
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A wonderful 16th century draped female torso in classical style. Made in France under Italian Renaissance influence this female torso is finely sculpted with great detail to the stol...
Category

Antique 16th Century French Renaissance Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Sandstone

19th Century Mannekin Head
Located in Vosselaar, BE
A 19th century French mannekin head in beech with original polychrome remains.
Category

Antique Late 19th Century French Victorian Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Beech

You May Also Like

19th Century Burmese Shan State Marble Head of the Buddha
Located in Jimbaran, Bali
This small marble head of the Buddha is from the Shan States of Burma and carved from white marble. The face is framed by elongated and intricately c...
Category

Antique Mid-19th Century Burmese Other Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Marble

Special Large Antique Marble Buddha Head from Burma
Located in DEVENTER, NL
Material: marble 52,5 cm high The base is 22 cm wide and 21,5 cm deep Weight: 36.15 kgs With traces of 24 krt. gilding Mandalay style Originating from Burma 19th century The height of just the head is 38,5 cm Provenance : from an old Danish collection...
Category

Antique 19th Century Burmese Sculptures and Carvings

Materials

Marble

Stone Head Sculpture, United Kingdom, XVIIth Century
Located in MARSEILLE, FR
Sculpted stone head on a modern base, of a mustachioed man According to the 1983 sales certificate, it would be a 17th century sculpture, even before, of United Kingdom or Ireland o...
Category

Antique 17th Century British Medieval Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Stone

Stone Head of Bodhisattva, Northern Wei-Tang Dynasties
Located in seoul, KR
The face with downcast eyes and a smile, the hair swept up behind the pendulous ears into a high topknot. Faint traces of pigmentation hinting at the sculpture's original polychromy. The black stand was made in Hong Kong at the time of the acquisition. Date : Northern Wei-Tang Dynasty(5-8th century) Provenance : Acquired in late 1990s from Hongkong Reference : 1) Sotheby's London 13 May 2015 - The Soul Of Japanese Aesthetics – The Tsuneichi Inoue Collection - Lot 18 (Price realised : 17,500 GBP / Type : Closely related) 2) Sotheby's New York 26 September 2023 - CHINA / 5000 YEARS - Lot 1156 (Price realised : 8,890 USD / Type : Closely related) * Stone Head of Bodhisattva...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier Hong Kong Tang Antiquities

Materials

Limestone

Romanesque Antique Carved Stone Head
Located in Pease pottage, West Sussex
Engaging Romanesque Antique Carved Stone Head, intriguing linear incised hair, tightly curled beard and moustache, wide eyes and pronounced e...
Category

Antique 15th Century and Earlier French Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Limestone

Neoclassical Style Marble Head
Located in Southall, GB
A beautifully carved marble head in the classical style with clear features, full lips and hair. This piece has a lovely aged look to it and warm colour. It would look delightful a...
Category

Late 20th Century European Neoclassical Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble

Neoclassical Style Marble Head
$2,943 Sale Price
20% Off