For a detailed picture, click on the title of the artwork.
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Hecate
Compound stone, 10.5"H. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. TAL467, $57
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Hecate originally derived from the Egyptian midwife, Goddess Hekat. In Greece, Hecate was one of the many names for the original feminine trinity ruling the Heaven, Earth and Underworld. Hecate was called "Most lovely one", a title of the moon. She was associated with the moon in all three of her aspects: Hecate Selene, the Moon in Heaven; Artemis, the Huntress on Earth; and Persephone, the Destroyer in the Underworld. Sometimes she was part of the Queen of Heaven Trinity: Hebe the Virgin, Hera the Mother and Hecate the Crone.
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Sheela-Na-Gig
Celtic Goddess of Protection, AD 850, compound stone, 10"H wall hanging Church of St. Mary and St. David Kilpeck, Herefordshire, U.K. TAL465, $57
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Sheela-Na-Gig figures appeared all over old Irish churches built before the 16th century, but Victorian prudery resulted in the defacement or destruction of large numbers of them. She is represented usually as a naked woman, squatting with knees apart, displaying her vulva and often presenting it with both hands. Celts generally protected doorways with some female-genital fetish.
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Female Idol Head from the Cycladic Islands
The Greek Cycladic Islands, in the southwestern Aegean Sea, were settled during the late sixth millennium B.C. The islands are rich in marble and obsidian, and between about 4500 and 2200 B.C. the inhabitants began to produce marble vessels and, especially, human figures. Little is known about the meaning of the figural sculptures, commonly discovered in graves. The figures are predominantly representations of women, and were originally articulated with color to indicate details such as eyes, hair, a headdress, or a tattoo. This Cycladic Head reproduces an original marble head (ca. 2700–2500 B.C.) in the Metropolitan Museum of the early Spedos type. Figures of this type are often roundly modeled with broad heads tilting upward. Cast marble, hand patinated. Height including base 13 3/4"H x 5"D x 3 3/4"W. 5273, $179
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Female Idol Tall from the Cycladic Islands
A masterpiece of Cycladic sculpture, our female figure with its sophisticated, almost abstract, elegance is the work of an unknown sculptor identified today as the "Bastis Master." Lost in obscurity for millennia, the art of the Cyclades was rediscovered and greatly admired in the late 19th century by European artists, including Picasso. Our reproduction is based on an original Greek sculpture from the Cycladic islands dating from around 2600–2400 B.C. Licensed reproduction, made from cast stone. Height including base 24 3/4 in.; base length 5 1/2 in. 5272, $238.50
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Cycladic Thinker Statue
During the period between 3200 and 2000 B.C. the small Cycladic islands in the Aegean became home to a flourishing culture. The most prominent craft in Cycladic culture was stone-cutting, especially marble sculpture. The abundance of high quality, white marble on the islands, encouraged its wide use for the creation of a wide range of artifacts. Among these, Cycladic Figurines are the most distinctive Cycladic creation because of the great numbers in which they are found, and the significance they held for their owners. The majority of Cycladic Figurines show women, nude with the arms folded over the belly and the long feet, soles slopping downwards. We do not know whether they were meant to show mortals or deities, but probably symbolized the worship of the 'Mother Goddess'. In this case, the figurines may have been conceived as representations of the Goddess, or companions to her.
Made from cultured marble, measures 6.5"H x 2.5"L x 3.5"W. 6619, $35
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Cycladic Goddess Standing
Museum of Cycladic Art, Athens, 2800-2300 B.C. The majority of Cycladic Figurines show women, nude with the arms folded over the belly and the long feet, soles sloping downwards. We do not know whether they were meant to show mortals or deities, but probably symbolized the worship of the "Mother Goddess". In this case, the figurines may have been conceived as representations of the Goddess, or companions to her. Made from cultured marble, measures 9.5"H x 3.25"L x 3.25"W. 6620, $42
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Cycladic Lovers with Arms Interlocking
Wrap your arms around your loved one and never let go. During the period between 3200 and 2000 B.C. the small Cycladic islands in the Aegean became home to a flourishing culture. The most prominent craft in Cycladic culture was stone-cutting, especially marble sculpture. Made from cultured marble, measures 8.5"H x 4"W x 2.75"L. 6621, $45
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