So beautiful. A rare type of Neolithic figurine often classified as the 'Kilia' type, because the first examples were found at the site of Kilia on the Gallipoli peninsula in modern Turkey.
These figurines represent some of the earliest known human figurative sculpture in the Aegean/Anatolian region. Though not exclusively found in the Cyclades, intact examples are extremely rare.
What makes this type so distinctive is the way its head is tilted backwards, giving the impression that the figure is gazing upwards towards the sky or to the stars. Their exact purpose is uncertain, but their deliberate upward gaze suggests a symbolic significance.... maybe ritual or cosmological... As with other Cycladic figurines, the body is rendered schematically, with folded arms and minimal anatomical detail - the nose is clearly modelled.
The original, dating to the 5th-4th millennium BCE, is now in the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens. On loan fron the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
Cycladic Stargazer figurine
dimensions
Height including base: 20cm
about the material
Made in Greece at the workshop of the Lioulias family, with whom It's All Greek is proud to have been working since 2004 .
The material is a lightweight plaster polymer compound with a light ochre finish applied by hand. There may, therefore, be a slight variation in colour from piece to piece.
The piece is mounted on a polished resin base.