Early Babylonian Pottery Goddess w/ Huge Breasts

**Originally Listed At $600**

Ancient Near East, Babylon, ca. 2000 BCE. A pottery figure sculpted in the round, showing a woman with huge breasts, her hands raised to cup them as if she is nursing; she also has wide hips and wears a headdress or crown of some kind. The origins of the fertility goddess this piece probably depicts are lost to time, although we see her appearance throughout the ancient Near East. She is probably a conglomeration of many local goddesses; as the great cities of the Near East crystallized into kingdoms, they must have incorporated local beliefs into a wider religion. This mother goddess is mentioned in Gilgamesh - named Ninsun - and written about by the Sumerians as Ninhursag; she probably is the same as Astarte in Syria and Asherah in Canaan. She speaks to the cult of motherhood and the value that her fertility held in the society. Size: 1.9" W x 5.5" H (4.8 cm x 14 cm)

Provenance: ex-private Florida, USA collection, from an old French collection, prior to 2000

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#117522
Condition Report: Intact, although with extensive wear. Shape is clear.