81 - A MEHRGARH TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF A STANDING MOTHER GODDESS, INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

A MEHRGARH TERRACOTTA FIGURE OF A STANDING MOTHER GODDESS, INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION Expert’s note: Anthropomorphic male and female human forms have been excavated from several sites associated with the Indus Valley Civilization. Mehrgarh’s female figurines are endowed with prominent breasts and elaborate headdresses. The curvy physiques of figurines were not meant to sexualize the female body, but to revere it, and its role in the creation of life. Baluchistan, Pakistan, 3000-2500 BC. Modeled as a voluptuous woman, the deity’s hands positioned to the sides as she looks straight ahead. The goddess is adorned with jewelry and her animated expression is marked by wide, hollow eyes above a pointed nose. She is modeled with a slender waist, wide hips, and small rounded shoulders, accentuating her deified position in society as the creator of life. Provenance: B.C. Galleries, Melbourne, Australia. B.C. Galleries was a high-end gallery dealing in antiquities and tribal art from around the globe for over a quarter of a century. The gallery was run by Frank Bottaro, a Sicilian-born taxidermist who sold his business to pursue his passion for archaeology. He recounted tales of fleeing for his life in tribal lands while searching for ancient treasures, of earning the trust of desert tribes whose lands were rich with buried artifacts, and of narrowly escaping death on more than one occasion when less hospitable locals learned of his activities. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, firing irregularities, small nicks, and minuscule losses. Possible old repairs and touchups, all as expected. Weight: 36.6 g (excl. stand), 53.6 g (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 11.4 cm (excl. stand), 12.6 cm (incl. stand) With an associated stand. (2) Literature comparison: Compare a closely related Mehrgarh style terracotta figure of a seated mother goddess, 13.3 cm tall, ca. 3000–2500 BCE, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2001.305. Compare a closely related Mehrgarh style terracotta figure of a seated mother goddess, 8.6 cm tall, ca. 3000–2500 BCE, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET), accession number 2001.306