A GODDESS WEARING A KAUNAKES H. 11.6 cm. Chlorite,... Lot 21

A GODDESS WEARING A KAUNAKES H. 11.6 cm. Chlorite, white calcite. Western Central Asia, Bactria-Margiana, Middle to Late Bronze Age, 2000-1650 B.C. The block-like female figure is shown standing, clad in a floor-length garment with asymmetrical flounce over the hips. The dense, coarse texture resulting from the sculptor?s articulation of the partially overlapping rows of fur-like tufts makes for a pleasing contrast with the separately made, finely worked calcite head. The face with its delicately defined nose, mouth and pointed chin is attached by a short neck to an ovoid bust, to accommodate which the artist hollowed out a deep depression between the shoulders. The texture of the tufts radiating from the neckline and covering the décolleté and arms is defined by ribbing on the right and fine incising on the left. These two textures are retained over the shoulders and back, where a low-cut V-shaped neckline extends all the way down to the flounce. By emphasizing the right hip, the asymmetrical arrangement of the flounce invests a figure that in all other respects is static with a dynamic, rightward momentum. The head was most likely adorned with a headdress made of darker stone originally. Whether the head and bust belonged to the lower half of the statue originally is not certain. Surface of the head abraded in places; edge of the bust worn. Piece missing and crack in the middle of the smooth base. Composite figure. Provenance: Formerly Coll. M. Foroughi, Marguerite Ansari, Geneva. Acquired in 1968 from the above by the family of the present owner. The use of calcite allowed the figure?s pale complexion to be accentuated, an effect familiar to us from the use of opaque white in Greek vase painting. The smooth, narrow ledge at breast height may have been intended for the separately worked calcite hands or lower arms to rest on. The head perhaps wore a cap or turban made of stone in a darker, contrasting colour originally. - For a stylistically very similar, composit