125 - Male figure: Phoenician culture, 5th–3rd centuries B.C.

Male figure: Phoenician culture, 5th–3rd centuries B.C. Terracotta. The surface has earthy deposits. Piece is intact. Measurements: 10.5 x 3.5 cm; 0.5 x 3.5 cm (base). Provenance: Family bequest from Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Archaeological collection assembled beginning in the 1950s by successive generations of the family through acquisitions at European galleries and auction houses. It previously belonged to the private collection of C. P. (Barcelona). A sculpture in the round made of terracotta. The sculpture takes on an anthropomorphic form, and due to the absence of feminine features such as breasts, it can be inferred that this is a male figurine. This type of small idol was very common and was used largely for ritual purposes. The Phoenicians were a major naval power in antiquity, thanks to their sturdy, large vessels made of durable wood. These very vessels enabled them to engage in trade of great importance both to themselves and to many other cultures, allowing them to acquire techniques and materials from regions outside their own through these exchanges.