Bronze Age Cypriot Plank Idol

About the Item

Cypriot Plank Idol Early Bronze Age III - Middle Bronze Age I, c. 2100 - 1850 BC. Low fired burnished earthenware pottery with lime-filled incisions A Cypriot plank idol, an iconic form of human representation from Bronze Age Cyprus. A highly stylised figurine, with a flat rectangular body and narrower head and neck, featuring incised lime-filled decoration across the top half of the body, and two incised lines dropping down from the shoulders. The nose depicted in relief, with incised eyes, eye- brows, nostrils and mouth. Waved line incisions on the edge of the head perhaps indicating hair. Identified today with the elusive kingdom of Alashiya, Bronze Age Cyprus was an island of unique and distinctive culture. At the beginning of this period (c.2500 BC), migrants from Anatolia introduced the Philia Culture to the northern coast of Cyprus, establishing a new era in the island’s prehistory. Marking the end of the Chalcolithic period, innovative types of pottery were produced, and inhabitants began to experiment with new technologies of bronze metal production.1 In particular, the exploitation of copper resources in the Troodos foothills provided the foundation for acquiring and displaying wealth.2 In high demand throughout the Mediterranean world, Cypriots now exported large quantities of this raw material in exchange for luxury goods such as silver and gold, ivory, perfumed oils, and precious furniture.3 Through such trade, Cyprus established connections with Minoan Crete and Mycenaean Greece, as well as the ancient civilisations of Egypt and the Near East.4 Imported goods from these kingdoms were, in turn, used as status symbols. Over this period, the number and siz- es of settlements also increased, suggesting that this prosperity was underpinned by a rise in population. The middle Bronze Age also marked an expansion in artistic production, typified by the proliferation of new types of pottery, including Black Slip ware, Red-on-Black ware and white painted ware. Moreover, potters now produced large ‘scenic vessels’ which depicted the everyday activities of the island’s inhabitants, providing invaluable evidence to archaeologists and anthropologists today. The cultural affluence of this period also resulted in huge quantities of grave-goods to accompany a person to the afterlife. The deposition of metal goods in particular reached remarkable heights during this period, and for the first time, tombs included items such as tools and weapons, as well as new types of pottery, and imported jewellery such as gold rings, diadems and faience necklaces. Such evidence has been particularly well documented during the three major excavations at Lapithos. Plank idols are also a common feature of these richly ornamented graves. Tombs themselves were now used for several generations, suggesting that greater emphasis was beginning to be placed on group or family identity. Indeed, this was a time of significant political and economic change, and the emergence of new social structures resulted in lavishly decorated tombs, fulfilling the emerging desire to visually confirm one’s social status, both in life and in death. Forms of human representation by the artists of ancient Cyprus are easily identifiable to the period they come from. For the early and middle Bronze Age, the traditional form of human representation was the plank idol or figurine. These often simplified forms are highly stylised, with a flat rectangular body, and narrowed head and neck. Facial features and ornaments are indicated by incised and painted patterns, with the exception of the nose and ears (and occasionally breasts) which are modelled in relief. In some cases, they also have two heads, or three necks, or they even depict a mother holding a child. As highly expressive objects, with a significant aesthetic quality, it is clear they were made by skilled potters and designed for visual impact and display. Generally found in graves, their archeological context has led to the belief in their religious and symbolic significance. When Cypriot plank idols were first discovered in 1913, they were tentatively identified as female. This was the result of their elaborate incised decoration and jewellery, as well as the discovery of some depicted with breasts modelled in relief. Just as large vessels from this period depict scenes from everyday life, it was thought that these figurines may have depicted women in their various roles, for example, as mothers or officiating at the sanctuary in full ceremonial dress. However, the significant absence of male figurines in a presumably patriarchal society led scholars to identify them with the fertility cult of the ‘Great Mother Goddess’. It has been noted that per- haps those idols with two heads or three necks may have been significant in asking for twins, triplets or a larger family. Given that these female figurines are frequently found in graves, it has also been suggested that the fertility goddess was a symbol of rebirth or regeneration. However, more recently, the identification of plank idols with the Great Mother Goddess has been questioned, on account of the considerable number of figurines that bear no identifying features of the female sex. Instead, their appearance at a time of significant political, hierarchical and economic change, as well as their archaeological contexts has led to the belief that that plank ‘idols’ were in fact figurines designed as a conspicuous symbol of social prestige, and a marker of group identity with particular reference to ancestral authority. Whether idol or ancestor, these figurines emerge from a crucial time in Cypriot early history, and their aesthetic nature means that they have been highly sought after by the modern collector. Provenance: Collection de Mme S.; Objets de Haute Curiosité et d’Archéologie, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, 2nd June 1967, Lot 99. Mr and Mrs Jacques and Françoise Martinet collection, acquired at the above sale Thence by descent.

Dimensions:

Height: 9 in (22.86 cm)Width: 3 in (7.62 cm)Depth: 0.25 in (6.35 mm)

Materials and Techniques:

Terracotta

Place of Origin:

Cyprus

Period:

15th Century and Earlier

Date of Manufacture:

Bronze Age, circa 2100 - 1850 BC

Condition:

Repaired. Wear consistent with age and use.