Idol Figure

Label TextThe Cyclades are a cluster of small islands off the southeast coast of mainland Greece. During the Early Bronze Age (3000 – 2000 BC), culture on these island flourished due to natural resources such as marble, gold, and other precious metals. This figure is typical of Cycladic art – the form is severely reduced, the arms are crossed over the body, and female gender is defined. There is no universally accepted theory on the purpose of these idols. Possible interpretations include representations of ancestors, divinities, companions for the dead, status symbols, or personal totems.
Exhibition History"Minoan and Mycenaean Art," Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore

Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, Schloss, Germany. Catalogue: "Kunst und Kultur der Kykladeninseln im 3. Jahrtausend v. Chr." cat. no. 168 where it is included as a work by the Goulandris Master, illus. p. 269

"Art des Cyclades--Collection N.P. Goulandris," Musees royaux d'Art et d'Histoire, Brussels, Belgium, cat. no. 43 bis, repro. in color (2 views) on p. 42 and repro. in b/w (2 views) on p. 75

"Early Cycladic Art in North American Collections," Virginia Museum, Richmond, VA

"Cycladic Art in North American Collections," Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (organizer): Nov. 9, 1987-Jan. 10-1988; Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth: Feb. 13-May 15, 1988; M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco: June 25-Sep. 25, 1988
Published ReferencesGREAT ART TREASURES IN AMERICA'S SMALLER MUSEUMS, Robert L. Polley, ed., pub. by G.P. Puynan's, N.Y., color illus. p. 107

ART QUARTERLY, Vol. XXVII, no. 2, 1964, illus. p. 207

GAZETTE DES BEAUX ARTS Supplement, illus. p. 87

DES MOINES SUNDAY REGISTER, illus.

Bibliographical notation in Pat Getz-Preziosi's dissertation "Traditional Canon and Individual Hand in Early Cycladic Sculpture," Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass., 1972, ref. pp. 79ff

DimensionsOverall: 17 3/8 × 4 1/4 × 2 in. (44.1 × 10.8 × 5.1 cm)

Accession Number 1964.3

Classificationssculpture

CopyrightPublic Domain

Provenance(André Emmerich Gallery, New York); Des Moines Art Center [purchased from the previous, 1964]