Rare Syro Hittite Pottery Double-Headed Astarte Figure

Ancient Near East, The Levant, ca. 2nd millennium BCE. A rare double-headed example of a hand-built pottery figure depicting Astarte, the ancient goddess associated with war, fertility, and sexuality; she is also known as Ishtar in Mesopotamia. The figure presents with a slender body atop a concave conical foot, holds both arms up against the chest towards flush breasts, and has an impressed necklace lining the bottom of each clavicle. Each visage presents with incised concentric circle eyes, a beak-like nose, and tab-shaped ears, with one head bearing a conical crown, and the other with a backswept coiffure. Size: 2.5" W x 7.2" H (6.4 cm x 18.3 cm); 7.8" H (19.8 cm) on included custom stand.

Cf. "Idols: The Beginning of Abstract Form." Ariadne Galleries, Inc., London, 1989, p. 86, fig. 70.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection; ex-prominent R.F. collection, New York, USA, acquired in the 1990s or earlier

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Display stands not described as included/custom in the item description are for photography purposes only and will not be included with the item upon shipping.

#169043
Condition Report: Repair to proper right head at neck as well as body beneath bent elbows, with resurfacing along neck break, and small chips and light adhesive residue along body break. Restoration to noses of both faces. Minor nicks and abrasions to foot, body, and heads, with softening to some finer details, smooth encrustations, and one large spall just above repaired area of body on obverse. Great preservation to overall double-headed form.