1111 - BACTRIA-MARGIAN CULTURE (BMAC or Oxus) (present-day Turkmenistan / Afghanistan) - Composite seated female figure, called “Princess of Bactria” III, Late 3rd millennium – early 2nd millennium BC

BACTRIA-MARGIAN CULTURE (BMAC or Oxus) (present-day Turkmenistan / Afghanistan) - Composite seated female figure, called “Princess of Bactria” III, Late 3rd millennium – early 2nd millennium BC Carved white calcite, chlorite, and steatite. Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 4 cm. Weight: 267 g. Exceptional composite female figure belonging to the Bactrian-Margian civilization, also known as the Oxus civilization, one of the most developed cultures of Central Asia during the late 3rd and early 2nd millennia BC. The sculpture is made by combining different stone materials, a distinctive characteristic of these celebrated Bactrian productions, with the head carved from finely polished white calcite and the body and headdress executed in chlorite or steatite. The figure represents a high-ranking woman, traditionally identified as a princess, priestess, or possibly a female deity. The face displays the stylized features characteristic of these sculptures, with large almond-shaped eyes, a prominent nose, and a serene and timeless expression that conveys a remarkable sense of authority and monumentality. The body adopts an oval and compact form, covered by an elaborate ceremonial mantle decorated with complex incised geometric motifs arranged in triangular and rhomboidal registers reminiscent of representations of the kaunakes, the traditional ceremonial garment known in Mesopotamia and ancient Iran. These engraved decorations lend extraordinary visual richness to the surface of the piece and constitute a particularly refined variant within the well-known Bactrian composite figures. The use of different colored stones to differentiate the face from the body follows an artistic tradition characteristic of the Oxus culture and has been interpreted by various specialists as a device intended to emphasize the symbolic or sacred nature of the figure. Although the exact meaning of these sculptures remains a subject of debate, most of the known examples come from funerary contexts, ...