Female Fertility Figurine

AAT Object Form/Functionfigurines

Place CreatedTurkey, Asia

PeriodPottery Neolithic

Date7th Millennium BCE

MediumCeramic

Credit LineGift of Judy Eid

Dimensions2 7/8 x 3 in. (7.3 x 7.6 cm)

Object number1993.009.001

Label TextAmong the earliest sculptures produced in the Near East were figurines of nude women. Statuettes show women with large breasts, stomachs, and thighs, and no detailing of the legs or hands. Often the head is simplified or missing completely. The emphasis on parts of the anatomy concerned with childbirth indicates that these statuettes are fertility goddesses, mother figures, or female ancestors. Some scholars suggest they were used in myth or story-telling.
Exhibition HistoryMCCM Permanent Collection Galleries, May 11,1993 - Spring 2001
MCCM Permanent Collection Reinstallation, September 2001 - February 12, 2018
Michael C. Carlos Museum Morgens West Foundation Galleries of Ancient Near Eastern Art, November 10, 2018 - Present

ProvenanceWith Judy and Yousef Eid [Caravan Consignments, Inc.], Atlanta, Georgia.

Status

On view

Collections